Basil Chulev

•∘⊕∘•

ANCIENT MACEDONIA

The Gods of Macedon

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
2
 Basil Chulev

Ancient Macedonia
The Gods of Macedon

From the oblivion of prehistoric myths until today forms of religion.

Chronological and unfolding retrospective across the everlasting
continuity of primordial human beliefs in the past millennia, with
focus on the Macedonic gods, myths, and traditions perspective.

2016

3
4
 III
“By what names shall I address you? Some call you Lydian, some Delian,
some Ascraean, some Actian. Others call you Amyclaean, the Pelasgians
Patroos, the Milesians Branchiate. You control every city and land and
nation. You control the whole inhabited earth … The Persians call you
Mithra, the Egyptians Horus, the Macedonians Ares, the Thebans Dionys,
the Delphians honour you by the double name of Apollo and Dionys … The
Chaldaeans call you the leader of the stars.” – 3rd century AD Menander
Rhetor epideictic praisе to the god Apollo.

5
Above: Bronze bull-horned head of young Dionis. Archaeological Museum of
Republic of Macedonia

6
The intention of this paper is to provide simple and easy to understand review of periods
from the Macedonian most ancient history and culture, and its continuity seen through the
phenomenon of mythology, popular beliefs and religion. It avoids substantial and detailed
explanations that consider wider historical background of the described events and persons,
and is written primarily for those approaching the topic for the first time, with fosus on the
Macedonian aspect of the story. It also avoids complex explanatory comments or insightful
footnotes on the citations from the sources. The given explanatory notes are prevalently
etymological.
The introduction comprises the periods from prehistory of human development, and
presents a brief overall retrospective of the earliest forms of woprship and mythology. The
time-frame elaborated as a main theme of this essay ranges from the Neolithic until today.
The interpretations given here are meant to enhance our understanding and appreciation of
the Macedonian throughout millennia. They are focused strictly on the Macedonic aspect of
the mythology and religion, disregarding the wider geo-political perspective.
All the dates and references to centuries are „BCE“ (Before the Common Era). Throughout
this essay, Macedonia/Macedonians generally refer to the area of the mainland triangulated
north of Mount Olymp (Lat. Olympus), southeast of the Mount Šar (Lat. Scardus), and west
of the Rhodope Mountains. Macedonian Peninsula refers to what is called „Balkans“ as of
the 19th century, occupying the part of southeastern Europe that lies south of the Danube and
Sava rivers and forms a peninsula bounded by the Adriatic and Ionian seas in the west, the
Aegean and Black seas in the east, and the Mediterranean Sea in the south.
Latinized/Anglicized or Macedonic names are given in parenthesis, some names and
technical terms are transliterated and these will be obvious when they appear. Other technical
terms and titles (e.g. Kartchemish, Iraklids, etc.) have been transliterated directly from their
original forms with as few changes as possible: thus Arot or Irakle rather than latinized
„Heracles‟, and Orus rather than 'Horus', which is neither Latin nor English.
The terminology and concepts that are modern inventions (such as 'Hellenistic' or 'Greek')
are altogether avoided. Such empirically wrong terms, used improperly by the modern
conventional historiography, were originally meant to describe totally different categories
(such as the artistic periods) and were unknown to the ancient world. Their continued use
perpetuates misleading assumptions.
The modern-historiography 'privileged moments' are largely avoided too. For example -
for historians today one such a privileged moment (of places and monuments as 'clasical') is
'Clasical Athens', the Athens of the 5th and 4th centuries BCE. But when and why is so
regarded? Was 'Clasical Athens regarded as “Clasical” already in antiquity? By whom?

The definitions, current meanings and related concepts of the words in English are taken
from the Oxford American Dictionary and Thesaurus (Mac OsX version 1.0.2 for PowerPC)
and/or Meriam-Webster online dictionary. For the transliterated words in Macedonian is used
the online ENCYCLOPÆDIA MACEDONICA (MAKEDONSKA ENCIKLOPEDIJA) vol.
1 & 2, and online Macedonian dictionaries (idividi.com, off.net, etc.).

The sources that were used are listed in the References at the end of this research.

7
8
Contents

Introductionary foreword ................................................................................................... 15

Gods before the gods – the Great Mother Goddess, the Horned God, Elen of the Ways,
the Holy Trees and Sacred Groves ..................................................................................... 23
Old Macedonic Rituals – The Dog sacrifice, Snakes blessing, Life fire, Afterlife,
Skomrahi, Panagjuri, Peripetii, etc. ………………………………….….……………...... 76
The archaic Macedonian Pantheon evidence – The Afterlife Cult, Macedonian Olymp,
Macedonian Calendar, Macedonian Monuments, Soothsaying, etc. .............................. 103
Father Gods of Macedon – Celestial, War gods, Fertility gods, Female gods, Health gods,
Chthonic gods, Water gods, Demigods, Daimons, Muses, etc. ....................................... 125
Dion and Samothrace ('Lone-tract') island – Macedonian Jerusalems of antiquity .... 187
Identity and Dionisiac-fertility qualities of the Great Gods of Samothrace ............. 194
Unrenaming of the Macedonian gods – from Mō-Ma to Ma-Ma, from Bogo Vō to Vol
and anglicised Bull, hence from Triple-Vō to “Triumph”, etc. ..................................... 199
List of known and unknown Macedonic deities in alphabetical order ......................... 206
The Macedonic Pantheon in Ptolemaic Egypt ............................................................. 247
References ........................................................................................................................ 266
Addendum ........................................................................................................................ 269

9
10
 List of abbreviations:

BCE – Before the Common Era

NIE – Non-Indo-European
PIE – Proto-Indo-European
IE – Indo-European
Lat. – Latin
Mkd. – Macedonian
Br – Brygian/Phrygian
Ba – Basque
Co – Coptic
Ep – Epirotic
Ет – Etruscan/Tuscan/Rasenna
Ho – Homeric
OCM – Old Church Macedonic
Pa – Paionian
PB – Proto-Byblian/Minoan
Pe – Pelasgian
PPM – Pelasgo-Proto-Macedonic
Su – Suda lexicon
Tr – Thracian1

1
On difference from “Brygian”, “Macedonian”, “Paionian” or “Pelasgian”, the “Thracian” isn‟t
a proper ethnonym. The (multiuse) term Thracia used by ancient authors, as well as their modern
counterparts, traced the territory of 'Thracia' totally differently, depending on whether they
referred to ethnic or political boundaries. They differ from source to source. As a geographical
name its etymological meaning was “the land” or “the coast”. This can be seen from Hecataeus
[Hec., ap. Steph. Byz., s.v. Darsioi: ethnon Thrakion („Daorsoi‟) were living on the left bank of
the river Neretva to the Adriatic cost in Dalmatia]. Apollodorus also used the term „Thrakes‟ for
„Histri‟ on the Histrian Peninsula (Istra in today‟s Croatia). These two examples evidenced that
the designation “Thracian” (same like Latin “Illyrian”) had no obvious ethnic connotations, but it
precisely meant “a tract of land” and should be translated as “Landers”, “Inland tribe” or
“Coastal tribe”, i.e. any tribe living on some transitional zone of land or near the coast. This
interpretation can be emphasised by data from Erodot (Lat. Herodotus,VII.185) who describes the
Thessalian tribes as “those Thracians living on the Thessalian Coast along the sea”. It was very
well known to Herodotus‟ audience that the Thessalians are not „Thracians‟ in ethnical sense.
“On the Names of Thracia and Eastern Macedonia”, ΚΡΑΣΗ΢ΣΟ΢, Сборник в чест на професор
Петър Делев, София, 2017, рp. 75-82 N. Proeva 2017.

11
Tn – toponyms
En – ethnonyms

Most common Betacisms (phonetic mutations), Rhotacisms (sound

changes)2, and Consonant Mutations:

/A/ → [O] and/or /O/ → [A]3 umlaut

/β/ (Vita) → [B] (Beta) i.e. /V/ → [B]; thus /Bo/ → [Vo]4 and/or /Vol/ → [Bull]
(example: Lavoro/Labor)5

/Gh/ → [D] and /D/ → [Z]

/L/ → [R] (a change evolved probably around 3rd century BCE; the letter „R‟ is still
ostensibly absent in Chinese; examples: Rex/Lex, Glaven/Govern/Gobernare)

/K/ → [C (Ts)] and /C/ → [Ch] (example: Caesar/Kaiser/Tsar)

/S/ → [H] (examples: Sellen/Hellen, Tyrsenian/Tyrhenian)

Etc.

A particular emphasis must be underlined on the everpresent metathesis! For example:

The Macedonian root word “Ramo” - „arm, lateral extremity‟6, via Latin “Ramus” -
„branch‟, until anglicized “Rami(fied)”7, and through metathesis is also the root word for
“Arm, armature”, etc.

Linear B ethnonyms and toponyms from the Knossos tablets with a reference to localities on
the Aegean mainland also tell us the same. For example: “Ra-ma-na-de” - „to Rhamnous (in
Attica)‟, meaning „flat‟ in plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/ramno ; “O-du-
ru-wi-jo” - „the Odrysian (Macedonic tribe inhabiting the hinterland of Thebes in Boeotia during
the earlier part of the Late Bronze Age)‟, etc.
2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betacism,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhotacism_(sound_change),
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonological_change
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_umlaut
4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant_mutation#Hebrew,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consonant_mutation#Latvian
5
https://www.etimo.it/?term=lavoro&find=Cerca , https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=labor
6
http://www.makedonski.info/search/ramo
7
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=ramify

12
13
14
 Introductionary foreword

Most of what we think we know about our prehistory still comes from the observance of
traditional mythologies8, misbegotten legends, and that infinite conundrum of folk-tales.
Unfortunately, prevalent majority of these fairytales are distant echoes of human‟s
primordial fears, astonishing ignorance, and inflicted or suffered violence provoked by
other humans or natural catastrophes. From the purely mythical ages, which lie far
beyond the reach of our rational memory, down to the borderland of history and today
reality, there‟s still an enormous gap of untold secrets and countless strata filled with
obscurity. Preponderous majority of these strata are based on the most primordial fears
and ignorant schizophrenia of the primitive peoples, and on the supposed deeds of
unknown violent, drunk, or drugged individualls. These suspiciously „real‟ events or
purely invented lies with time became impersonated in the deeds of different gods and
demigods. But, before submerging in the depths of Macedonian distant past, first it must
be given a fair explanation of the idea and the terms „Mythology‟. „Legend‟, etc. Their
very definitions are quite disappointing in this regard, and in rather sober way explain
why they‟re not so reliable as we want or expect them to be:
Myths are misinterpreted or mistaken explanations of phenomena, whether of human
life or of external nature. By being founded on ignorance and misapprehension they are
always false, for were they true they would cease to be myths.
Legends are oral traditions, whether oral or written, which are related to the fortunes
of real people in the past, or which describe events, not necessarily human, that are said
to have occurred at real places. Such legends contain a mixture of truth and falsehood, for
were they wholly true, they would not be legends but histories.9
Folk-tales are narratives invented by unknown persons and handed down at first by
word of mouth from generation to generation, narratives which, though they profess to
describe actual occurrences, are in fact purely imaginary, having no other aim than the
entertainment of the hearer and making no real claim on his credulity. In short, they are
fictions pure and simple, devised not to instruct or edify the listener, but only to amuse
him; they belong to the region of pure romance.
Theocrasia and Syncretism are yet another very common religious phenomenona, of
fusing of one god with another, through amalgamation of different religions, cultures, and
languages.
If all that wasn‟t enough there‟s also the Henotheism Syncretization as general
dynastic policy of Macedonian kings and queens, which included the divine
legitimization of them as natural sacred reincarnation with some particular god or

8
Since the letter „Y‟ (originally from the Phoenician / y/ - „Waw‟) was actually voiced “U” before
its Latinization, thus the “Mythology” was originally pronounced “Muti-logos” – „Mixed voices‟,
from Macedonic “Muti/Mati” – „to mix/stir‟ http://www.makedonski.info/search/mati and “Glas”
- „voice, word‟ http://www.makedonski.info/search/glas*
*Still “Golos” in Russian, an obvious metathesis of “Logos”.
9
For example Homer‟s „Iliad‟ and „Odyssey‟ are classic legends.

15
goddess. This included the sacral legitimization of, for example, Alexander the Great as
Dion/Amon/Dzevs reincarnation (observable through the Ram-hornes regalia on his
coins), Ptolemies as pharaons in Egypt claimed their sacred symbolic dimension in
Osiris-Isis aspects, etc.
These intransigent policies were vigorously implemented and exploited throughout the
ages, and additionally complicate the research of different religious manifestations and
their true origins. They are maybe the worst mythological practices, which undermine
every serious attempt for more profound and truly objective evaluation of different (or
similar) gods between different epochs, religions and cultures. Thus, only for the sun god
we have hundreds, if not thousands different multiforms and names. Let alone in Egypt
there are 7-8 or more different sun-gods.
These are just some of the most common basics of every ancient religion and
pantheon. Generaly, the overwhelming part of them are just blatant fairytales and colorful
lies, meant for the sake of fairytale enrichment or literary effect by countless tale-tellers
and transcriptors. Their true beginnings, if any, are enshrouded in mistery and pristinely
veiled. On the other side, gods are more of a reality than a mere abstract ideas, and they
contain quite other and more vital reinvigorating powers than the barren subtlety abstract

Above: the syncretic conceptualization of рrimordial god from unknown

prehistoric hunter-warrior

idealists ascribe to them. The repulsion of the reality, which directly may ruin the
spiritual world through any contact with it, must naturally blind the eye to the origin of
evil too. Every idealism, if it‟s not grounded in a vital realism, is just an empty and

16
attenuated sham. That‟s why the Nature is the ultimate key to any theory of the divine:
“We have an earlier revelation than any written one – nature. If the understanding of that
unwritten revelation were inaugurated, the only true system of religion and science
would appear.” 10 The only problem is to find the right path through the mythological
labyrint, and to filter out all the impurities that deposited above the supposed original
source. Throughout the ages myths developed and inevitably remained a very important
part of the testimonies studied by comparative sciences, which assist considerably the
reconstruction of our most distant past. Nonetheless, religion always was a very
important and inseparable part of the human society and history, and it had exerted
enormous influence on the development of the historical events in the past and more
recent times. Our innate and ceaseless curiosity of what and who we are, poses more and
more questions about the very beginnings of the religion, and in that way always reaches
deeper and deeper for more older layers of the past times. Thus, in order to fully
understand our history, it is inevitable task to research the origins and evolution of this
human phenomenon, no matter how misapprehending it might be. The same is true for
Macedonian history – in order to reconstruct it as much as possible we must inevitably
reconstruct the ancient Macedonic pantheon as well, no matter how deep it is enshrouded
in mistery.
Macedonian tribes have differentiated themselves as a distinct ethnic group already in
the 1st millennium BCE, and reconstruction of their old beliefs is actually reconstruction
of ourselfs and our national and international history. In 1925 an excavation was started
at the site of “Vardaroftsi” in the Vardar Valley, some 60 kilometers northwest from
Thessaloniki. The archaeological evidence supplied by the excavation showed that the
Macedonians were descendants of the original inhabitants who settled in Macedonia in
the 3rd millennium BCE, and who were of the same stock as early people of Troy. 11 The
later great expanse of the Macedonian empire at its hight, ethnic diversity within the
boundaries of that state, the Macedonian innate cosmopolitanism and cultural exchange
over time all contributed to the creation of an unusually diverse religious life. However,
as it will be seen, many of the ancient popular traditions of the Macedonians underwent
little or no change at all during the 3000 and odd years covered by this independent
research. Hunting, agriculture and livestock-raising formed the means for living of both
the Neolithic population and their successors in the Bronze, Iron, and Medieval Ages.
Accordingly, Macedonic beliefs and rituals formed the basis for worship and religion.
Testimonies from the ancient monuments, countless artifacts, popular traditions, ancient
authors and other sources, layer after layer throughout millennia brought us the evidences
of distinguished Ancient Macedonian Pantheon, which emerged from the most archaic
and prehistoric times. It is a hermeneutic faculty needed to study primordial myths and

10
“Inquiries” by F.W.J. Schelling.
11
Evening Star, issue 19303, 16 July 1926:
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19260716.2.21?items_per_page=10&page=35&
query=macedonians++&snippet=true&fbclid=IwAR0XIw8n2GoTuyon8-
C908mo4PUdxZIdkvOVwoFwhggatiaN2PTI-RW0Ez0
“Report on Excavations at the Toumba and Tables of Vardaróftsa, Macedonia, 1925,1926: Part I.
The Toumba” by W. A. Heurtley and R. W. Hutchinson The Annual of the British School at
Athens Vol. 27 (1925/1926), pp. 1-66: https://www.jstor.org/stable/30096568

17
legends with the method required for studying the hidden strata of human beliefs. A real
“chronological abyss” thus opens up infront, an unintuitable realm of mystery and
unexpected conspiracy of deified beings that stretches well beyond the borders of surreal
into infinity.
To submerge deep below the surface of mythology never was an easy task. Behind
the impenetrable curtain of past millennia lies the immense world of human fantasies,
mystic interpretations of natural forces and elements, dreams, magic, and other mindless
aberrations. Every new discovery opens new incongruencies and unanswered questions.
Many myths, deities and semideities appear not to be what they appeared to be. The gods
were immortal not because they never perished, but because they always reincarnated
from the ashes of the succumbing civilizations and lost cultures pantheons into apparently
new ones worshiped by others. Those that followed always absorbed the traditions of
those before them, and from the ruins of their temples and sanctuaries raised up and
refurbished the ancient gods in their own fashion [for example the Egyptian Orus turned
out into Latinized Horus; he was Ares too, Jewish Hrs, and finaly Roman Mars].12 Their
attributes and names were easily mutable and interchangeable through the fluctuating
series of folklore narratives and corrupted linguistic interpretations. At the end –
Mythology and History are not sciences, although they involve sciences. They are open
debates and guesses on just about every detail of the past events.
The misinterpretations of the Eurocentric conventional historians from the 19th
century, and the political agendas of their criminal masters and institutions like the
church, added much misunderstandings above. In the myths and legends nothing belongs
to the history of the so-called “Greex”; it‟s all built on the idiot assertions like “Pan's
sudden shout which terrified the Titans became proverbial and has given the word 'panic' to
the English language,”13 which leave us perplexed. If this can pass as official position of
the Conventional Historiography, then what remains for the honest cheats? – The western
pirates and idiocracies must learn that „stolen‟ doesn‟t mean „inherited‟.
But, despite these miserable politically-biased Eurocentric boofonery, however
brilliantly or weirdly arrayed by limitless imagination, myths are actually the children of
refurbished facts; they contain recollections, not of the first ages of 19th century
romanticists “Hellenic history”14, but of communities and nations more ancient. The
12
Western Eurocentric scholars lack the freedom to go beyond the curtain of their self-imposed
underwood horizon, and fail to recon the obvious oneness of the omnipresent examples like this.
Instead they remain limited within their squarehead “Latin” depository: arsio(n-), from Latin
ardere „to burn‟.
13
“The Greek Myths” by Robert Graves.
14
“That these “Hellenes” were so favored (by politically-biased modern scholars) is certain, but
that they were a race at all is doubtful. Unless the necessity of connecting the Latin and “Greek”
languages in geography as well as in philology have be en overvalued, and, along with it, the
difficulty of doing so by any simple extension of the two areas, the natural inference from the
necessary consequences of a maritime migration follows as a matter of course, viz., the
probability of the blood on the mother‟s side having been different from that of the father - the
one Italian, the other native to the soil. If so, there is an “Hellenic” language, an “Hellenic”
literature, an “Hellenic” influence in the world‟s history. But THERE IS NO “Hellenic” stock.
The (Latin-corrupted Koine) tongue belongs to “Hellass”, and the blood to Italy. Subject, then, to
the correctness of the Italian hypothesis, what was the native stock of “Hellass”? Pelasgic (or
Semitic?). What means this? The proper place for this inquiry is the chapter on the ethnology of

18
Asia Minor (and Macedonian Peninsula), for in two Asia Minor localities only have any Pelasgi
existed within the historical period. A negative statement, however, will find place here.
Whatever the Pelasgi were, THEY WERE NOT, at one and the same time, the earliest
occupants of (supposed)“Hellass”, and (THEY WERE NOT ) a population belonging to the same
class with the “Hellenes”. The reasons which lie against making the “Hellenes” aboriginal to
“Grease” lie also against any other “Hellenoid” population. The magnitude of the earliest
historical “Hellenic” area is of importance. Let (suppose) “Grease” under the leadership of
Agamemnon be as truly “Hellenic” as Kent and Essex were Anglo-Saxon in the reign of Alfred.
What does it prove in the way of the occupants being aboriginal? As little as the English
character of the counties in question at the time referred to. Four centuries - or even less - of
migration may easily have given us all the phenomena that occur; for the area is smaller than the
kingdom of Wessex, or Northumberland, and the country but little more impracticable. Hence, if
we sufficiently recognise the smallness of the “Hellenic” area, no difficulties against the doctrine
of an original non-“Hellenic” population will arise on the score of its magnitude. It was as easily
convertible from non-“Hellenic” to “Hellenic” as Cumberland and Northumberland have been
from British to English (both a complete post-factum constructions).
And that that (imagined “Hellenic”) area was actually very small indeed is evident to any
inquirer who will take up the measure of it without any prepossessions in favor of its magnitude,
and limit his “Hellass” to those parts. Only which can be shown to been “Greek”; in order to do
which he must draw no undue inferences in favor of the identity of the “Hellenic” and Phrygian
languages from the negative fact of Homer saying nothing about interpreters;* build no thing on
the ubiquity of the Pelasgi, every one of whose migrations is as unsupported by historical
evidence, as the migration of Eneas to Italy, or that of Antenor to Venice; and, lastly, satisfy
himself with the “Catalogue of the Ships ” as the earliest geographical notice of ancient
“Grease”. This list is more likely to contain populations which were not “Hellenic” than to omit
any that were; and, with the single exception of the Acarnanians, this is the current opinion. The
Acarnanians alone of all the “Hellenes” are said to have taken no part in the Trojan war; and on
the strength of their non-intervenetion we hear of them some 900 years afterwards, putting in a
claim for the good offices of the Romans, the supposed descendants of those Trojans whom the
other “Hellenes” so cruelly conquered, and the Acarnanians so generously left alone. Yet it by no
means follows that because the Acarnanians were “Greex” during the Peloponnesian war - they
were “Greex” in the 9th century BCE, any more than it follows that because the men of
Monmouth are English at the present moment they were so in the 1st millennium AD. (which is of
course untrue).
(Thus) Acarnania was in the same category with the nearly opposite island of Corcyra -
“Greek” in the time of the historian, but not “Greek” in the time of the Homeric poems. So little,
however, depends upon this view of the character of the earliest Acarnanians that the notice of
them is rather an episodical piece of detail, than anything affecting the general question of the
size of Homeric “Grease”. It may have contained Acarnania, and still have been small enough
for the purposes suggested, i.a., small enough to have be en converted, from non “Hellenic” to
“Hellenic” within a very few centuries.
Macedon and Thrace (i.e. the „Tract‟ of land actually!) were, certainly, non-“Hellenic”; so
much so, that it is only by first peopling them with Pelasgi, and then refurbishing the Pelasgi with
what may be called “Hellenoeid” - or “Greex”-like - that the semblance of any close ethnological
afinity with the “true” and undoubted “Greex” of the Homeric confederacy can be obtained.
The 2 elements of the (forged) “Hellenic” population in its simplest form, are - 1. The native;
and 2. The Italian; either of which may have been more or less mixed; though the proof of it is
impracticable, and the analysis out of the question.” – from “The Ethnology of Europe” by
R.G.Latham, 1852.

19
marauder Eurocentrics have for centuries intentionally messed up these ancient realities
and surrealities, and misrepresented a manipulative version of the history which serves
their belligerent campaigns for power, conquest and profit. Their first European „Etruscan
model‟ was abandoned in the 19th century, only because the Osman Turks occupied Asia
Minor where the Etruscans originated from, which ruined their prefered origins-cradle
ideal. (see the addendum on page 223)
On the other side, rediscovery of the forbidden truth about our distant past have
never been so vigorous. In the past decades Historical Revisionism had gathered under
his aegis many empirical sciences and new means for the restitution of Ancient History
Model (i.e. Continuity Paradigm). The overthrow of the backwater colonialistic mindset
and the end of the medieval-minded 19th century Conventional Historiography is
developing fast. And the research for forgotten Macedonic gods and goddesses is just a
tiny but very important contribution toward the honorful and decent restitution of truth to
the Macedonian people and world science.15 The aim of this paper is not to explore the
preponderant impossible complexity of the Macedonian religion, a task that would
demand a multi-volume series of its own, but will instead concentrate on the well known
religious issues of the Macedonian people (rather than on all the issues of all the peoples
englobed within the substantially extended borders of the once enormous Macedonian
empire).

* - Where the Phrygian is factually inclusive and Semitic “Hellenic” ostensibly exclusive and
inexistent at the time being. In fact, up to a certain time the southern Mediterranean Semitic-
“Hellenic” influence has a northern direction, and acts upon certain indigenous populations
originally barbarian, so as imperfectly to “Hellenize” them. Such is the case with Aetolia and
Macedon. But soon afterwards, however, the direction of these influences changes, and Aetolia
and Macedon contribute to dis-Hellenize again the most southern parts of Macedonian Peninsula.

15
“That the alphabet and the weights and measures of “Grease” are Phoenician is likely enough;
indeed, from the extent to which the habit of circumcision was strange to the “Hellenes”, the
evidence is in favour of the coasts of Phoenicia, and the Philistine country having supplied a
larger immigration than those of the Holy Land. In respect to the infusion itself of Semitic blood,
whatever may have been the details of its origin, it was considerable; and has generally been
admitted to have been so.
The absolute admixture of Thracian and Phrygian blood on the soil of “Hellass”, anterior to
the Macedonian conquest, is a complex question (Yet, according to Erodot, Phrygians were
actually a de facto Macedonic tribe, being known as Brygians before they settled in Asia Minor).”
– from “The Ethnology of Europe” by R.G.Latham, p.138.

20
21
22
Gods before the gods – the Great Mother Goddess, the Horned God, Elen of the Waуs,
the Holy Trees and Sacred Groves

The review of the archaic and ancient pantheon in the realm of Macedon it must be first commenced
with a fair elementary introduction in the very beginnings of the religion and the oldest human beliefs.
What we know about them is quite foggy, but from the found artifacts and surviving traditions some
general conclusions can be drawn. The immemorial timeworn creation myths of the world, of the
Supreme Kreator-God from the sky, the Great Mother-Goddess of the Earth, the birth and rebirth of the
young Sun-God, myths of the Stars and the Moon, that gets to the earth and turns into a cow, conception
of the months as divine creatures, Zodiac systems – they all have central role in each nation collective
conscience. These primordial abstract ideas gave us the notion of the beginning of the time, the
emergence of the order from the chaos, and are the very beginnings of our eternal struggle for
understanding and comprehension of the world that surrounds us. These first spiritual beginnings of the
religion, from prehistoric cultures of Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic ages, are also referred to as
Primitive. In that unknown epoch, when the distant ancestors of the Macedonians were still undivided
and one with the mythological Belasgians (Lat. Pelasgians) and Hyperboreans, they were worshipers of
the primordial mythical beings and gods of nature, animals and woods, and other demigod members of
the archaic Barb-Aryan pantheon. Intrinsically connected to the forces and elements of the nature,
countless bards and storytellers patiently created and transmitted incredible fantasy worlds of magical
beings and gods with supernatural forces. Gods of sun and thunder, ghosts and spirits of the woods and

mountains, giants, dwarfs, elves, were all but allegoric interpretations of the things that were impossible
to understand for the primitive humans. The archaic religious organization in those times was still
merged with the most primitive social structures, horde and tribe. Thus, the most prevalent forms of

23
religious behavior among these primitive cultures were expressed throughout rituals and animistic
worship. The bulk of them were actually based on our most profound fears from the terrifying wild
beasts, the dark of the night, or simply the winter cold or other elementary forces and catastrophes of the
nature, which the primitive people couldn‟t possibly explain to themselves as why and how they happen.
Thus the mythical rituals and animistic worship function was to be the bridge between the hope and
ruthless reality. In this regard maybe the fairest description of religion, as a state of mind, was given by
Sigmund Freud – “Religion is a collective neurosis.” The frantic participants in the prehistoric rituals
identified themselves with the wild animals and tree spirits, fantasy-mythical beings, and there were no
priests and no spectators, all the present were involved. They were becoming one with the myth,
performing actions that served to reinforce the solidarity of their group, inspiring them to fight the most
innate fears from the forces of nature, and to induct initiation of the young, in order to exert their
accession to the norms of horde/tribal behavior. Аvailable evidence of these prehistoric rituals is very
limited and any plausible reconstruction remains highly speculative. However, distant echoes of these
remote times and rituals can still be observed even today among the primitive hunter-gatherer tribes that
still live in Amazonian jungles and different regions in Africa. Some of these Stone Age human relics
still exist, and they still practice similar animistic and spiritual shamanic rituals like many millennia ago.

Two main characteristics of this earliest mythical world of primitive religion were so far detected by
the modern scholars. The 1st is the very high degree to which the mythical world was related to the
detailed features of the actual world, i.e nature. Not only is every horde or clan and local group defined
in terms of the ancestral progenitors and the mythical events of settlement, but virtually every mountain,
river, rock and tree is explained in terms of the actions of mythical beings. Which is basically the very
definition of religion – a set of symbolic forms and supernatural acts that actually relate man to the
ultimate natural conditions of his bare existence.
The 2nd main feature, related to the extreme particularity of the mythical material, is the fluidity of
its organization. We meet here the typical lack of precise definition of the gods in the popular traditions,
as well as in other sources. Depends on the storyteller, they‟re sometimes associated with the first
humans, and sometimes said to be quite different, so, god may in some sense be associated with any
ancestor from the distant past, and/or any element, animal or plant which is considered appropriate at

24
some particular given moment. The fluid structure of the myth is almost consciously indicated through
the world of dreaming, animism, magic, etc. Both the myths particularity and the fluidity, then, help to
account for the volatile closeness of the world of myth to the actual world.
Thus, despite their constant metamorphosis and fluidity the myths were firmly anchored to the
natural world and to all the things and elements that surrounded humans – lakes, mountains, forests,
animals, stars, sun, moon, day and night, wind(s), etc. Virtually everything was explained in terms of the
actions of mythical beings, and the animism, defined simply as belief in the existence of spiritual beings,
is considered the first “religion” that attributed the “soul” to all things.
Archaeologists and linguists have most probably even discovered and confirmed the first ever
syllabic words that meant „spirit' and/or „plenty, many, a lot‟, - and „(holy) mother‟: “Shu-Nun”, which
is related or gave the descent to “Shu-Ma” (i.e. „forest‟ or „Plenty-HolyMother‟ in today plain
Macedonian)16, the syllables we also found in today Chinese as “Shù Mù”(树木) - „trees‟17, which is
again phonologicaly and by all means related to “Shān”: 山 - „mountain‟; and, look the case, even the
Macedonian very letter for the sound “Sh” is “Ш”, a simplified ideogram of the trees/forest, i.e. the
Great Mother Goddess‟s sanctuary par excellence.18 And what does the Shuma when winds move the
trees? – „Shumi‟ of course.19 The Egyptian primordial god of air is also “Šu”. If that wasn‟t enough, the
most ancient known symbol for "God/Goddess" are the three vertical strokes – III (see more on p. 102).
From there we also have “Sha-man”20 (a „Druid‟, i.e. „priest of the forest spirits‟), the Mesopotamian

Above: ceramic head-pieces and drawing of the Great Mother Goddess, Neolithic artifacts
from the 6500 BCE archaeological site „Ogragje‟ near the village of Orman, R. of Macedonia

16
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D1%88uma, https://mk.glosbe.com/en/mk/forest
17
https://chinese.yabla.com/chinese-english-pinyin-dictionary.php?define=trees
18
It won‟t come as surprise if the anglicized “She” is actually from the same root word. In today
Macedonian and Sanskrit preserved as “Ţena”.
19
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D1%88umi#%D1%88%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B8/%D0
%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B2
20
A person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits.

25
“Shamash”, “Šemvila/Samovila”, “Shash”21 (and probably anglicized “Bush” and “Shadow” too). Even
in ancient Egypt the “Sho-Mu” was the „harvest season‟, thus presumably designating again „a
plenty/many‟ of something. Through metathesis of the root word for “forest” the syllable “Shu/Sha”
became also “Du-Sha” [pronounced „Doushā‟] - „soul‟ in plain Macedonian [from the root verbs “Dishi,
Duva” - „respire, winds/blows‟ respectively, as onomatopoeic („douh-shā‟) of the breeze/wind that
blows in the woods and mountain peaks and animates them; syntaxed as “Dah/Duh” - „breath‟/„spirit‟
respectively in plain Macedonian]22 it gave the root word for Diaus/Deus, in Sanskrit: Dhiša – all words
that describe the anima, inner spirit being, divinely inspired soul/psyche.
The “Shu-Nun” site of Kamenaya Mogila or Kamyana Mohyla („Stone Mausoleum‟ in plain English)
– a colossal sanctuary hill made of heaped megalithic sandstone slabs, located beside the river
Molochna(„Milky river‟) is accordingly called “Shu-Nun” – „the Plenty/soul (of) Mom/Mother Goddess‟

(also Mkd. Nina - „aunt‟, Sumerian Ningal - „lady of the chalice‟, Lat. Nonna -„grandma‟ i.e. „female
monk‟, anglicized: Nun).23 The Rock Art writing of these primitive Mamooth hunters and maybe the
first “priests”, was well established in this monument of the so called Aratta Culture (as designated by
today scientists), long before it spread elsewhere or it arrived from somewhere. There, at “Shu-Nun” (the
ancient name of the site deciphered by the Paleolinguists and Archaeologists) or Kamyana Mohyla, as
early as 20,000 BCE the prehistoric worshipers inscribed a primitive but rich petroglyphic library of
their primitive law codes, mysterious idols, rituals and hunting stories. The “Shu-Nun” site remained
very well preserved under the millennial layers of dirth and soil, and was unknown until it was
rediscovered in 1889. Maybe this gigantic pile of stone slabs was once structured in a more ordered
way, but today it appears just as it is on the image above. That the syllable “Shù” meant „heap‟ or
„gather‟ of something, hence also „forest (sanctuary)‟ and/or „Sacred grove‟, we find in the ancient
sources (Pliny, Dion Cassius, etc.) which describe the foundations of almost all Sacred Places being in
the Holly Groves, preferably in the forests (i.e. „Shu-ma‟24 in plain Macedonian) of oak trees. Lets not
forget, in those times whole Europe was covered in genuine untouched forests. Relics of the “Shu-Nun”
prehistoric site of Aratta Civilization were identified in Ukraine, from where it radiated its primordial
culture into India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Western China and across Europe, and it gave us perhaps the
most ancient evidence of the prehistoric “religion” before the religion. 25 Amazingly enough, and rather
21
Bushy, dense, not very high flora.
22
http://www.makedonski.info/search/duшa; english exclamation syllables “Shoo” and/or “Shun”
(Old English “scunian” - „to seek safety from enemy‟) have the same root.
http://www.makedonski.info/search/duh
23
abbess, prioress, Reverend Mother, etc.
24
http://www.makedonski.info/search/шuma
25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPiuS6UUc1Q

26
astonishing thing is the pilgrimage of Budist monks from Tibet, who regularly travel and visit this
sacred place, for which they claim that was their homeland in the immemorial distant past. The bare fact
that they travel thousands of kilometers for countless centuries, to worship some so distant site lost in
time and space, says enough.
Although, many other remnants of the first totems and altars, and what appear to be some kind of
primitive “temples” (rather an animistic-totemic worshiping places and/or astrologic observatories) were
already found by the archaeologists in the Neolithic layers. And majority of them were simply in the
middle of the long-gone woods (Sacred Groves) or with hypaethral (roofless) architectural design, in
order to observe the stars, which were an important part of the predictions and rituals. According to later

Above: artistic reconstructed vision of the oldest known temple complex of Gobekli Tepe in
26
Asia Minor. This sacred megalithic structure from the Neolithic (dated 10,000 BCE) was
dedicated to the worship of most primitive animistic cults
architectural designs, hypaethral edifices were constructed explicitly to honor the Thunder God [Tarhun,
Perhun, Ur-An (Lat. Uranus), Marduk and/or Jupiter…], the Sky-Father of Heaven [Utu or Anu/An, Ur-
An, Dya(us), …], and/or Sun (Il/Ilios/Helios, Tiyaz, Dionis, Mitra, Ra…); further the Moon (Losna,
Luna, Selene…), but also different stellar constellations and Zodiacal appearances. For the most part the
worshipped divine powers in these sacred places were still in animal or vegetal form, which is the only
clear conclusion that can be drawn from the available definitive evidence. Prehistoric worldview was
significantly different from the worldview of the historical era due to the cultural processes of
lordification and dualism which arose in the meantime. Before that maybe the only two clearly
distinguished deities, or however they might‟ve been called many millenniums ago, were the Great
Mother Goddess - the absolute supreme She-First, a procreatrice and supreme mistress of every living

26
Courtesy of BBC Documentaries.

27
and dead thing, and the (celestial) Horned God - transcendental He-first, i.e. Principle (the primordial
kreator deity) of the infinite time and space, day and night, the almighty Sky-father and potent lord of
thunder (represented by the Labris, the sacred double axe: , made of stone and later of bronze). These

two deities are the oldest of the old gods of which we have the notion only from popular traditions and
numerous amulets, as any other surviving material or written evidence is almost totally absent. For more
than 20,000 years they were the only known, but still nameless gods that had been remembered and
honored in every era and continent. The Horned God was identified with the Sky, and even the later
historical authors and their mythologies repeat again and again this primordial patern. In later cults and
mythology the major PIE deities survived, but syncretized into Krónos (plus Ouranós/Uranus) as the
original Sky Father corresponding to Vedic Dyāuḥ, Paionian Dyāuš; thus Dzeús (the „controller‟ of the
Upper Sky Region) which corresponds to Vedic Váruṇaḥ. While Poseidōn (the „controller‟ of the
Middle Sky Region) corresponds to Vedic Índraḥ. Dyauš/Dzeús, however, has absorbed many of the
pan-generic traits associated with the original Sky Father from Krónos (Ouranós/Uranus). In Ireland,
Dagda, and/or Celtiberian LuGoBo (i.e. Lu-Go-Vo), still have his pan-generic traits and probably
preserved the original nature of the undifferentiated PIE Sky Father. According to Hesiod (Theogony
126) the Sky [Lat. Uran(us)] was a son of Earth [Gea/Gaia], but afterwards lay with his own mother27
and had by her Kron(us), the Titans, the Cyclopes, and so forth. Syncretized also as Crom Cruach also
known as Crom Dubh (who was the „Sun God‟), i.e. the „Thunder (“Grom” in plain Macedonian)28
God‟, but also the god of agriculture and cattle.
For the Great Mother Goddess there has been gathered a fairly more material artifacts and other

27
This was rather usual behavior in the prechristian era, when the moral boundaries weren‟t so
restricted and austerely defined as they are today. However, this cliché (of Uranus-Gea, Cronus-
Gaia/Rhea, Dzevs-Hera, Attis-Kibela, etc.) is suspiciously repeatable – they all kill their fathers
and lay with their mothers. The only logical conclusion is that the very same myth was vulgarly
copied by different storytellers, and used to account for “historic” divisions inserted by the
conventional historians of the later period.
28
http://www.makedonski.info/search/grom#%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC/%D0%BC

28
testimonies.29 But of the Stone Age celestial Horned God there's far less material evidence left, and the
records of the ancient authors are precarious too. Nevertheless, his sturdy continuity in the popular
traditions is very important testimony and adamant example of how these most primordial deities and
animistic spirits remained with us from the Stone Age until today. This persistent male god remained
horned even in the archaic period, but now he was symbolized by the celestial bull. However, he
remained both 'Lord of Heaven' and 'Thunder god', the 'Sky Father of the Horizon' and 'Supreme
Kreator', a self-experiential time transcending and universe-unifying deity that lasted for over 12,000
years under many different forms and names (Adad, Atum, Baal, Dze/Dzevs/Diaolos/Dyaus/Jovis,
anglicized Giove/Jupiter, Leivino Dionis, Sabazius, Tammuz/Attis/Adonis, Ra/Amon-Ra, Pan, Marduk,
Thor/Thängra/Tharun/Uran/Perun/Titan/Tinia, El/Il/Ilios/Helios/Veles, etc.). The Horned God
announced the decline of female power and the virtual disappearance of the female mother goddess,

Above: Neolithic idols with real horns made of plastered bull skulls, from the Čatalhöyük
archaeological site in Asia Minor. 7000 BCE, Ankara Museum
which may also be called the Liliths or Matriarchs. Once the human specie relized that the fecundation
is not an exclusive miracle of the mother‟s womb, but result of the sperm injection by the man – it posed
the question of ancestry, thus the female supreme role fell into disgrace. The tyrranical male
power slowly but inevitably removed from the popular tradition and from the historical archives all the
traces of the Great Mother Goddess ruling era. The Phrygian Earth Mother Kibela, was reduced at only
a relatively late period by poetic license to the role of mortal and the daughter of Kadmo, Semela/Zemla

29
See more here: http://www.academia.edu/2624040/Proto-Indo-
European_Aryan_Homeland_of_the_Great_Mother_Goddess_Neolithic_village_of_Tumba_Mad
%C5%BEari_in_Skopje_Macedonia

29
(the Earth).30
But, long before his later forms and his domesticated bull-avatar (Apis, Dion/Dyaus/Dionis/Dzevs,
Dze-Ro-Apis/Serapis…), an exceptional testimony of this primordial omnipotent animistic deity is
probably the famous Shigir Idol, found in the 19th century by the gold prospectors in a pit bog of Shigir,

Above: imagined reconstruction of the Shigir Idol possible appearance in 11,600 BCE

on the eastern slope of the Middle Urals approximately 100 km from Yekaterinburg.31 It was

30
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zemja
31
https://siberiantimes.com/science/casestudy/features/the-awesome-shigir-idol-depicting-the-
ancient-spirit-world-originally-stood-tall-beside-a-paleo-lake/

30
painstakingly reconstructed in 1914 by the archaeologist Vladimir Tolmačev, who integrated again the
remaining wooden fragments. His reconstruction suggested that the original height of this totem pole
was at least 5,3 m, and the carbon dating proved that it was 11,600 years old, making it by far the oldest
wooden statue in the world. In addition, at the same spot adorned deer antler was found dated to the
same period and most probably part of the totem, but the damaged surface of the wooden pole couldn‟t
reveal where and how these antlers were attached. The Shigir Idol was most probably abundantly
depicted too, but again, any traces of pigments have been irreparably lost with the remorseless passing
of the millennia.
The researchers also noted that the Shigir Idol's carved decoration is similar to that of the oldest
known monumental stone ruins at Gobekli Tepe in Turkey (10,000 BCE), thus chronologically
confirming its cultural horizon and common features of the Old Stone Age hunter-gatherers society. It is
also a legitimate supposition that this was the totem-idol of the primordial supreme Sky-father god, the

undisputed lord of heaven and thunder, god-protector of the hunters, animals and forests. He was the

31
allseeing, manyheaded and multiform god, capable of changing his appearance at will. Thunder was his
formidable weapon and eagles his avatars. The last forays of his steppe people worshipers into the
Macedonian Peninsula32 occured between 4200 BCE and 3900 BCE, when the first cattle herders
equipped with reindeer, horse or ox-drawn wagons crossed the Dniester and Danube rivers, and
evidently destroyed or trespassed the Old Europe Neolithic settlements of the Gumelnitsa, Varna and
KaranovoVI cultures in Moesia (today Eastern Romania and Bulgaria). A climatic change resulting in
colder winters during this exact period probably pushed the steppe herders to seek milder pastures for
their stock, while failed crops would have led to famine and internal disturbance within the lower
Danubian and Dniester communities. Although, the ensuing Černavoda (Blackwater)
culture (CopperAge, 4000-3200 BCE), Kukuteni-Tripolje culture (Copper to Bronze Age, 3500-2500
BCE) and Ezero culture (Bronze Age, 3300-2700 BCE) in modern Romania, seems to have exerted no
influence on the more southwestern Amzabegovo and Porodin cultures, renown worshipers of the Great

Mother Goddess with continuity from the Neolithic. But, they surely were the intermediary linkage
between the northern pastures with the primitive Mamooth hunters, and the successive semiagricultural
cattle herders and the more southern Bronze Age agiculturalists around Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean
and Mesopotamia. However, these prehistoric northern invasions apparently did influenced the „Old
Europe‟ cultural core situated in the Aegean and Central regions of the Macedonian Peninsula. Their
universal prehistoric Horned God survived and found its way through ages, reappearing later as the Bull-
horned Leivino Dionis, Veles, etc. After all the found material tools and other artifacts had proven that

32
"Balkans" as of 19th century. The concept of the "Balkans" was created by the German
geographer August Zeune in 1808, who mistakenly considered it as the dominant central
mountain system of Southeast Europe spanning from the Adriatic Sea to the Black Sea.

32
since the Paleolithic prehistoric people have always traveled across central Europe. The „Amber Road‟
and eastern waterways toward Russian stepes are still the main inerland routes even today. Similar
Megalithic monuments found all around Europe also confirm the uninterrupted communication between
different European regions. The linguistic affinities as well confirm this incessant continuity through
space and time. For example: “Menhir” means „tall stone‟, the “Dolmen” means „stone-table‟, but only
“Kamen” in plain Macedonian means simply „stone‟33, and the Macedonic “Kamen” is the closest
metathesis form of the deduced PIE root word for stone: *hekmo-; hence we also have the Macedonian
“Akmak” - „anvil‟, which is obviously from the same root.34 Thus, the obvious Macedonic origin of this
word in other languages is rather evident.

The megaliths are another emblematic artifact of the Stone Age that remained a solemn reminder of
our most distant past. Beside the wooden idols and totems primitive people had very few material
choices at their disposal for making worshiping objects of their gods and spirits of the sky, earth, forest,
thunder, etc. Thus in the Stone Age the stones were their preferred medium par excellence. So, beside
their use for creating flint tools and jewelry, stones were used for manufacturing megaliths and other
primitive structures that represented the first attempts of creating sacred objects of worship, something

33
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kamen - The “Ka-” part, and its opposite “Ak” (which is both
metathesis and the opposite afterlife form of “Ka”) are testified in Egyptian hieroglyphs – the
“Ka” was essentially a person‟s “double,” the life force which at death it was separated from the
body; the “Ak” on contrary was another spiritual entity which was the transfigured spirit that
survived death and mingled with the gods. http://myweb.usf.edu/~liottan/theegyptiansoul.html
34
ἀκμον (akmon), *ak/hekmo-PIE (ak) – anvil and/or stone respectively; in today Modern
Macedonian: akmak [onomatopoeic; compare to English „smack‟], antonym: tokmak - „hammer‟
(today only the word for hammer - “tokmak‟ preserved its original meaning, while the archaic
meaning “akmak” declined into informal noun for insult, meaning something similar to English
'blockhead' in plain Macedonian) http://www.makedonski.info/search/tokmak; see also “čakmak”
- „a lighter‟; from the plain Масеdonic verb “aknе” - „to crash/smash, to hit‟
http://www.makedonski.info/search/akne; Phrygian: Akmonia, Basque: akain, Latin: acere.

33
that will be later on develop into sacred places, sanctuaries, and at the end in temples. In Macedonia
there is also an obelisk left by the prehistoric people (next page), found on the Koţuf mountain, near the
city of Gevgelia, dated 5000 BCE. It was broken in half by the unknown tomb riders, possibly with
some auxiliary mechanization, in search for hidden treasure inside the stone. They were ignorant enough
not to know that there was no way to find any treasure on a site that dates back to prehistory. The two
destroyed parts of the obelisk, which was 5.5 meters high, are still there, on the archaeological site
called "Milisin" (the image on the next page).

Above: the drawing of Milisin obelisk on Mt. Kožuf

Next page: the „Elephant‟ megalith near city of Prilep, Republic of Macedonia

34
In the Macedonian folk tradition, sacred stones were revered because of their distinctiveness from the
surroundings and other items in the nature, and were regarded as symbols of supernatural power. Due to
its hardness and durability the stone was considered impervious to changes, and in the consciousness of
the primordial man generated religious awe and respect. Thus the strange rock formations, hilltops, or
particular stones or megaliths in nature were always preferred places of religious veneration, соnsidered
to be residence of mighty spirits and made by the gods . The ritualistic worship of sacred stones is still
widely present in the modern Republic of Macedonia. „Kokino‟, „Tsotsev Stone‟, the „Elephant‟ and

“Zlatovrv” near city of Prilep, „Herder‟s Rock‟ in Ovče Pole, „Kostoperska Karpa‟, „Elen Kamen‟
(“Deer Rock”) are just some of the prehistoric examples of Megalithic monuments and sacred rock

35
formations across Macedonia. Around them are regularly found traces of archaic sacral structures and
settlements, and numerous votive artifacts from the past ages have been excavated. Beginnings of the

Above: The „Giant Briarey‟, one of the many Megalithic monuments in Republic of Macedonia
on which are visible traces of human craft and pagan worship; from still undetermined period
and function in the prehistory or ancient history

cultic and ritual activities around these places are rooted in the times of the most remote epochs of
humanity, of which no written records exist.
The closest we can get back in time, from where it can be drawn some clues about Macedonian
evidence, is the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE. – In 1925 an excavation was started by the
British School at Athens, of the archaeological site “Vardaroftsi” in the Vardar Valley, some 60
kilometers northwest from Thessaloniki. The evidence supplied by the excavation showed that the
Macedonians were descendants of the original inhabitants who settled in Macedonia in the 3rd
millennium BCE, and who were of the same stock as early people of Troy.35

35
Evening Star, issue 19303, 16 July 1926:
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19260716.2.21?items_per_page=10&page=35&

36
The evidence of horned idols and unknown gods and goddesses appeared very early in the human
prehistory. The so-called Horned Sorcerer petroglyph dates from perhaps 10,000 BCE.36 Further,
twenty-one red deer headdresses, made from the skulls of the red deer and likely fitted with leather
laces, have been discovered at the Mesolithic site of Star Carr. They are estimated to date from roughly
9,000 BCE. The first Bronze Age votive objects from 3rd-2nd millennium BCE continue the same
animistic symbolism, but with rather new materials provided with the discovery of metallurgy.37
However, the horned animals and their horns remained privileged symbols of higher magical power
and great spirituality. The bare fact that horns grow high upwards and appear like a crown on the head of
animals, especially the deer antlers, made of them self-evident objects of worship and a kind of religious
item par excellence. Further the acceptance of astrology led to a growing belief that the dwelling place
of the gods was in the realm of the stars/heaven. It was during the second half of the 1st millennium
BCE that it became the standard practice to call the planets and days of the week instead by names of the
animals with the names of various gods, such as Mars and Jupiter (i.e. “Martedi ” and “Giovedi ” -
„Tuesday‟ and „Thursday‟ respectively in plain Italian). Astrology also encouraged a new conception of
life after death, according to which the soul did not go to the underworld, as had earlier been believed,
but rather rose through the planetary spheres to the sphere of the fixed stars and then to the paradise that
lay beyond the outermost sphere. With time this journey came to be imagined as difficult and dangerous,
with secret passwords required to cross each planetary threshold (Ulansey 1989, 133). We read of other
sanctuaries of the Horned God throughout antiquity in Homer, where he reports about the Horned Altar
made from animal horns, on the island of Delos (Odyssey 6.162-63; Theogony 347). In the ancient
world the Horned God was most probably renamed as Leivino Dionis/Adonis and/or Apollon, whose
epithet was again Kerneios or Kereatas („Horned‟)38, and who is similarly associated with male
animals, particularly the stag, and accordingly with vegetation, trees and fertility. In some dedications
found in Apolon‟s sanctuary at Xerolimni of Kozani, the god is called Μεδωξίζθo (Mezorisko) or
Μεζδνξίζθo (Meszorisko). Hatzopoulos plausibly interprets this epiklesis as a derivate of a compound
of κέζζν- < PIE *medʰjo- > Mkd. „megyoo‟; and ὄξνο < PIE *her- > Mkd. „gora‟ – meaning literally "in
the middle of the mountains" („Megjugorje‟ in today plain Macedonian). His sanctuary was discovered

query=macedonians++&snippet=true&fbclid=IwAR0XIw8n2GoTuyon8-
C908mo4PUdxZIdkvOVwoFwhggatiaN2PTI-RW0Ez0
36
One of the names for an enigmatic cave painting representing a shaman or magician found in the
cavern known as 'The Sanctuary' at the Cave of the Trois-Frères, Ariège, France.
37
“The Macedonian Bronze Age had three phases, Early, Middle and Late, delimited not so much by
stratigraphic as by ceramic changes. If we cannot fix the beginning of the Early Bronze Age in
Macedonia with precision, it must however be placed nearer 2500 than 2000. The beginning of
the Late Bronze Age is determined by the rise of painted pottery of Macedonian character, in a
style which is little more than the translation into paint of the earlier Incised style somewhat
elaborated, and by a developed class of Incised ware, also based upon the old. The 'wishbone'*
handle is a distinctive Macedonian product, and when it is found in association with other pottery
showing Macedonian affinities it may reasonably be taken as evidence of the presence of
Macedonians. We have found this to be the case in Thessaly during the Early Bronze Age, and
have explained its presence there as due to the southward expansion of the Macedonian Early
Bronze population. The habits of the Macedonian folk underwent little change during the two
thousand and odd years covered by this study.” Walter A. Hurtley “Prehistoric Macedonia, an
archaeological reconnaissance” p.128-130.
* Probably just another one of the genuine Macedonian inventions.
38
Hence the “Crust” and “Keratin” too: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=keratin ; as well as
“Kora”: http://www.makedonski.info/search/kora

37
as far south as in Ciprus and Asia Minor as well, where the statues of the Horned God were

Below and on the next page: Neolithic ceramic heads of prehistoric horned giraffes or
sivatheriums from the site of Veluška Tumba, Macedonia (6000 BCE); and Hittite animistic stag
standards made of bronze (2200 BCE) used as a tip of priest‟s staff, and Horned God petroglyph

38
buried intentionaly by the users of the sanctuary. The sanctuary at Delphi, which initially was a Pelasgic
sacred grove, was also dedicated to him, and generally the deer frontlets were common holy garments in
the antiquity.
There was also the Dionisiac stag cult of Actaeon, a hunter who was transformed into a stag because
he accidentally saw Artio/Artemis/Diana bathing. And although this later form of Artio/Artemis/Diana
was seen as “daughter of Dion/Dzevs and sister of Apollo, a huntress typically depicted with a bow and
arrows”, before the maschuline and feminine gods inverted their roles she was also the omnipotent
Mother Goddess of the Earth, Forests, Mountains and Rivers, the powerful Artemida/Thea Pasikrata
(„Artemis/Dea Pastures-ruler‟39), the Asian Ponthia Theron, and all the other multifarious forms of this
goddess of fertility .

39
κπάηία (kratia) – power, rule; in today Modern Macedonian: kroti - „subdues, tames,
dominates/domesticates‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/kroti. It is he corrupted form
“krati(a)” seems to refer for the shortening (Mkd. “krati”) of the rope while taming a wild animal,
a verb which is most probably the root word for “Kroti” to:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/krati

39
 Above and left: the Artemis/Diana inscriptions and statues

To return to Horned God - of all the names by which this Horned Sky-Father is known throughout
the epochs, those which designate him as the „First One/Source‟ and the „Centre of Universe‟ are most
often encountered. He was known by various names in different cultures and in different regions of the
world, but they never revealed him by his true name, but only with epithets and by nature.
This old primordial fear from the supernatural and pronunciation of its name is perfectly preserved
in the phrase “Speak of the devil”. Even if today it has rader proverbial meaning, in the past it wasn‟t a
lighthearted one at all. The full form of this phrase is “Speak of the Devil and he will appear”, and was
meant to warn people not to talk about the Devil.40

40
https://www.theidioms.com/speak-of-the-devil/

40
 Above: imagined reconstruction of two of the numerous Ancient and Medieval sacrificial
sanctuaries (i.e. Trebishte/Kapishte) discovered in Central Euope – Uherskе Hradište (i.e.
“Gradište” - „city ruins‟ in plain Macedonian)41 and Pohansko (i.e. „Pagan‟) sanctuary in
Breclav, Czechoslovakia

Why the horns were so much exploited as a holy item, as if in them was concentrated some divine
potency? Because, it can now be seen, they were considered a permanent concentration, an outcrop, of
the growing power of the life-substance in the body; they were also the virile strength and were obvious
manifestation of that strength, which every spring sprung infront of the eyes of primitive humans. They
couldn‟t possibly realize that these hard protuberances were actually of the same material like their hair.
Thus the early god‟s standards and totems were horned animals – the Sacred Bull, Ram, Goat, Elk,
Aurochs or Bison, because the most basic aim of every power, religious or warlike as it might be, is
rather simple – to appear bigger, stronger and taller, in order to impress and stupefy the worshipers (or

enemies) infront. Even the animals, carnivorous or grazing ones, usually do not attack other animal that
is notably bigger then themselves; and the biggest and strongest males always have the greatest chances
to mate. And, exactly like male horned animals, which were embodiment of the sexual virility and raw
natural power, their horns were used too as potent symbols of that supremacy, but also as a phallic
symbols and surrogate of accentuated social importance. Especially the horns of deer, which fall in

41
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gradi%D1%88te

41
winter and sprout back again to such extent in summer time. This cyclic transformation of such a potent
growth has been seen as the very divine act, a sign of fertility and supernatural force. No wonder that
even today horns are still considered a powerful aphrodiziac by numerous primitive societies and
religions worldvide. The horns were also a primitive prototype of the crown (an item that was much later

re-invented as horned-like extension but of more sophisticated metal imitation of horns).42 The horned
god(s), their priests and priestesses, the tribal čelniks (i.e. leaders)43, were equally horned/crowned with
the animal horns (or oreols made of plants), also because this was the most common and easily
manageable gadget that was sufficiently plastic and handy as material before the invention of
metallurgy. Horns/crowns as status symbols accentuated their higher social importance among the other
members of the community, simply through increased visibility. Thus, the god(s), priests and tribal
chieftains instead of horned with time became crowned.
Further, the Paleolithic male deities as vehicles of fertility and potency rose to prevalence at the
emergence of widespread agriculture. It was also the period when people realized that it wasn‟t some
unexplainable miracle or the mother a sole creator of the life, but that the sperm of man was the vehicle
which makes the miracle of creation possible. Hence the question of the descendency and fatherhood
arose, which marked the end for the undisputed hegemony of the primordial Great Mother Goddess cult
of fertility.
Today this clearly primordial Horned God is described with its much later name version
'Cernunnos/Ceraunnus', or in corrupted Latin as “Dio Ceruninco”, an exonym that comes from the

Word „Crown‟ actually originates from „Horn‟; from common PIE *k̑r̥no- and/or *ker-, which is
42

scientifically deduced etymon for the term „horn‟ (and/or „crown‟). But due to the Christian-
political bias this fact is omitted by the modern Eurocentric linguists, and substituted with rather
ignorant term and chasing-the-dogtail explanations: https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=corona
.
43
N.G.L. Hammond noted that the ancient Macedonians called their commander “tchelniku”
https://archive.org/details/geniusofalexande00hamm, which in modern Macedonian means
"somebody who leads" – “chelniku” – „frontman‟, literally a „forehead‟:
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-angliski/%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE*
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D1%87elnik

42
reconstructed common PIE root *k̑r̥no- and/or *ker- (see also Macedonian “Kûr” - „penis‟44), which is
agreed universal etymon for the term „horn(s)‟45 and an improvised Latin name for the Horned God as

well, but also for the crown, trumpet46, and – meat47. Even if this Latin exonym is now used as

44
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kur#%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%80/%D0%BC
45
It is actually linked to the vernacular Macedonic etymon “kora” - „cortex, bark‟, which through
metathesis evolved in today “rog” - „horn‟ in plain Macedonian; from this Macedonic “kora” root
word in Septuagint Koine it derived as “κέπα” and/or “keratin” (a fibrous protein forming the main
structural constituent of hair, feathers, hoofs, claws, horns, etc.):
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kora; in Рroto-Semitic *qarn-, etc. This etymon also appears
in both Gaulish and Galatian branches of continental Gaulic as “karn” - „horn‟. Hesychius of
Alexandria glosses the Galatian word “karnon” (κάπνον) as "Gallic horn/ trumpet", that is, the
Gaul military horn listed as the carnyx (κάπνςξ) by Eustathius of Solun, who notes the instrument's
animal-shaped bell. The same etymon, through partial metathesis of its Latin version “corona”,
derived into “crown” as well.
46
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_(instrument)

43
established nomination for the Horned God, no one can actually know what his real Paleolithic or
Neolithic name (or names) was. Latin 'Ceraunnus' i.e. 'Horned God' are rather descriptive terms of his
aproximative appearance during the rituals, not his real names. The historian Ronald Hutton has
suggested that it instead came from the Arabic term Dhul-Qarnayn which meant "Horned One". This
term had been used in the Quran to refer to Cyrus the Great, or alternatively Alexander the Great, who
also considered himself the heir of the horned solar deity Amon/Apolon, and wore the ram horns as a
part of his regalia. It is also found as “Qrn” - „horn‟ in Hebrew; and again as “T‟rn” - „thorn‟ in plain
Macedonian.48
Last but not the least, another word used in the poetic works: θεξαπλόω referred to as “being hit by
solid object”, is intricately connected with the later Dithyramvic literary form, as well as with both
Dionisiac mythology and cult practices. These elements of primordial Horned God worship were present
as indicated by the finds of pieces of stone axes, since the ritual killings were carried out to resemble a
lightning strike, i.e., the thunder of the Father Sky-god. The axe was embodiment of the god‟s lightning.
Importantly, the word “God” at that point of time denoted as being able to „shine like lightning‟ and „hit
as thunder‟. Further, with the domestication of animals the avatar of the celestial Sky-father Horned God
gradually from wild horned beast became the strong Celestial Bull. In the Hinduism too, the Horned
God is referred to Pašupati -„the lord‟ (pati) of the „animals‟ (pasu)49‟, but the grazing ones – where we
have again a perfect match with the verb “Pasi”50 - „graze‟ in plain Macedonian. It was also referred to
by its Biblical name, Tubal-cain, who, according to the Bible was the first blacksmith, but generally he
was the good god of nature, life and fertility. And his totem-animal aspect remained horned, although as
the potent but more domesticated Bull.

47
Italian/Latin word for meat is “Carne”, clearly resembling the same “Corno/Ceraunnus” words. It
is because almost all the animals we humans use for food are horned, thus Horn/Corno equals
Carne i.e. „meat‟. Hence also „Carnival‟ - from the Late Latin expression „carne levare‟, Old
Pisan „carnelevare‟, Lombardese „carnelevale‟, which means "removing (the) meat", a vernacular
etymology derived from the days of feast which meant "eating/farewell to the meat". In either case,
this signifies the approaching feast. http://www.etimo.it/?term=carne&find=Cerca
It can‟t be omitted the possibility of the etymology for the word carne to be in relation with the
Macedonic root word “Krv” - „blood‟ in plain Macedonian:
https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D1%80%D0%B2 , utterly related to Sanskrit “Kravya” -
„flesh‟: http://sanskritdictionary.org/kravyam
48
http://www.makedonski.info/search/trn
49
http://sanskritdictionary.org/pasu
50
http://www.makedonski.info/search/pasi

44
 Below: Hittite and Minoan (with Lavrus51 sacrificial double-axe) bull-god totems

As from the prehistory sanctuaries or Trebishta/Trebeništa and/or Kapishta52 (places for animal/human
sacrifice and other libation offerings)53 dedicated to this and other anonymous archaic gods were

51
Latin-corrupted: “Labrys”.
52
Where the blood „kapi‟ (i.e. „drips/rains‟):
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kape#%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BF%D0%B5/%D1%81%D0
%B2.%20%D0%B8%20%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B2; once most sacred place for
sacrificial offerings to the gods, apart of its name, one such ancient Kapishte is now just another
urban suburb in the city of Skopje, the true meaning of which today no one remembers:
https://www.spottedbylocals.com/skopje/the-park-in-kapishtec/
53
From “Treba” - „must, need‟ in plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/treba
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebište
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebinje
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebisht
https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebeško_Brdo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Trebeshinë
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebesing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%99ebe%C5%A1ice_(Bene%C5%A1ov_District)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%99ebe%C5%A1ice_(Kutn%C3%A1_Hora_District)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%99ebestovice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%99ebe%C5%A1ov
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebe%C5%A1e
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebe%C8%99
https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Трепишта

45
scattered all across the Europe and Asia, and their archaeological remnants are regularly found by the

46
 Above: another well-preserved and reconstructed „Trebishte/Kapishte“, a sanctuary/sacrifice
place of the Great Father Gods from the perhistoric and prechristian period

researchers. – Why anonymous? Because in all old cultures the soul or „astral body‟ bore a relation to
the private personal name, and it was conferred or came into existence with the name; and for this
reason the personal name was sacred and rarely uttered. This is a particularly common practice in
Macedonia even today, where in everyday communication the usage of nicknames instead of someone‟s
real name is preferred habit par excellence. Someone‟s name remains not exactly a taboo, but it‟s rarely
mentioned, and usually by someone who‟s not familiar with the person in question. Thus, the name in
antiquity was believed to be a very intimate part of the individuality, and through it the soul could be
injured.54 From philological evidence it was discovered that Barb-Aryans and other peoples from
themost archaic times believed that not only that the name was a part of the man/god, but that it was that
part of him which is termed the soul, the breath of life. Thus, the dislike of hearing their names
mentioned was not confined to human beings, but gods as well.55 Knowing the name of a god implied
having power over that god, which was of course forbidden and imposible task for mortals. Archaic

54
Even Ra, the great Egyptian Sun-god, declared that the name given to him by his father and
mother „remained hidden in my body since my birth, that no magician might have magic power
over me.‟
55
Even today in the 21st century, unconsciously exist this usance, very common in the everyday
communication among the Macedonians, to call the people you know by their nicknames, not
their real names.

47
people believed that they must keep gods true names secret, in order to avoid their ire to fall upon them.
It was the fundamental reason why the real names of ancient supreme gods were known but to a chosen
few. Today interpretations are nothing else but pure improvisation of later historiographers and
transliterators, which in lack of better testimony with time invented feeble and rather fantasmagoric
substitutes for the god's real secret names.
Probably the oldest known testimony of the Horned God‟s name is reported by Erodot (Lat.
Herodotus) as the Skythian name version of the great Sky-father god, the supreme kreator and tunderer
(Lat. Uran/Perun/Tarun/Thangra/Thor), with its Eurasian northeastern syllabic-epithet “PaPa” (Lat.
Papaius)56; Sanskrit “Pa” [exclamative] – „attention, watch it!‟, but also “Papis” – „sun‟. It is a
legitimate conjecture to presume that this was the same supreme Horned God and the primordial Sky-
father (later „Celestial Bull‟) of which many sources and folk traditions testify. However, this “name”

reported by Erodot was just another votive adjective/epithet of this primordial deity57, because in plain
syllabic Macedonian it simply means “Upper-Upper” and actually stands for “Highness-Highness”. And

56
“In the Scythian language, Hestia is called Tabiti, Dzevs (in my judgment most rightly so called)
Papaios, Gea is Api, Apollo - Goitosyros, Aphrodite Ourania - Argimpasa, and Poseidon -
Thagimasades.” Herodotus (4.59) on the Skythian gods.
https://brill.com/previewpdf/book/9789004295902/B9789004295902-s005.xml
57
Koine: Παπαῖορ; Herodotus,1998: IV. 59.

48
“Pa” is the common syllable for “up” which we find in many words even today.58 This glorifying double
appellation remained in use in Macedonia even today, in another similar double-epithet in the title of the
actual Patriarch of the Macedonian Orthodox Church – “Gospodin-Gospodin” (i.e. „Sire-Sire‟), and as
vernacular wondrous exclamation “Paa-paa!”59 (which by the way also stands as adopted title of the
highest instance in the Roman-catholic church – the “Papa”, anglicized – „Pope‟), or even vernacular
triple “Paa-paa-paa…” – as exaggerating exclamation of ulterior wonder, close to disbelief.60 Closest
correspondence to this syllabic praise is the English “Wow!” which is unexpected lead to the original
syllabic name of the Supreme Macedonian god Vō, but that subject will be elaborated further below. If
the testimony of Erodot is correct, then this Macedonian votive syllabic exclamation of praise is at least
3,000 years old.
In order to show better the links between these primitive monosyllabic word-roots and today modern
words here is another paragon to the votive syllable “Pa”, its cognate particle “Po”.61 It is found as part
of the words “Popular”, but also “Pœplosa” („Burn-to-the-ground‟)62 and “Poplava” („flood‟ in plain
Macedonian). - Based on Italic cognates and derivatives such as populari "to lay waste, ravage, plunder,
pillage," Populonia, a surname of Juno, literally "she who protects against devastation," the Proto-Italic
root is said to mean "army" [de Vaan].63 Similarly in Moesia (according to Ausonius, 4th c. AD) similar
to Scythians he was allegedly called “Pan”, who was one of the ancent Macedonian gods too, and which
is also recorded as the “Pon” in Siberia.64 This archaic epithet-term is still in use even today in Polish,
Serbocroatian, Czechoslovakian, etc., but today has far more modest meaning of „Mister‟, which is in

58
For comparison see also the obsolete “Patagon” - denoting a member of a native people alleged
by travelers of the 17th and 18th c. to be the tallest known (in Patagonia accordingly); also
“Palace” from Latin Palatium - “high, hill”, etc.
59 It describes extreme astonishment or admiration:

https://www.facebook.com/iNFOMAX.mk/posts/1640712839384893/
60
Double pronounciation of same syllables like “Ma-Ma” and “Pa-Pa” are the most archaic way
of exclamation and veneration of someones supremacy, a sign of great admiration and
magnificence expressed in the simpliest way, by saying it twice. Examples: “Is-Is”, “Na-Na” (i.e.
“Ba-Ba” in plain Macedonian) - „grandmother‟; “Le-Le” – „(double) wondrous particle‟, “Pa-
Pa”(Italian) - the „pope‟; “Ta-Ta” (Serbocroatian) - „father‟; “Ra-Ra” (Italian) - „rare,
exceptional‟; “Ga-Ga” - „overexcited‟ or „irrational‟, etc. Example of vernacular “Pa-pa-paaa”:
https://www.facebook.com/298619206927603/posts/1991239904332183/
61
http://www.makedonski.info/search/po#%D0%BF%D0%BE/%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D1
%82
62
http://www.makedonski.info/search/Peplosa
63
https://www.etymonline.com/word/people
64
Synonyms: “Pon-yu’lec” –„something got dark‟, “Pon-’moc” – „something has become good‟,
“Pon-ti’boi” – „something makes rain‟. “Pon” is a vague and indefinite creator spirit who
controls all visible phenomena of nature. As far as can be ascertained, no specific cult was ever
addressed to this deity; he seems to be a remote figure, largely out of touch with everyday life. No
invocations or prayers are addressed to “Pon”, nor are sacrifices. Known period of worship from
prehistoric times until circa AD 1900. - Source: Jochelson “Memoirs of the American Natural
History Society” Vol. 10 (1905).

49
fact only a weakened form of „Master/Lord‟.
Another votive version of this supreme deity is the one of the Aryans. Ancient authors claim that the
Barb-Aryans called their supreme celestial Sky-father “Dyaus Pitar”. But again, having in mind the
well-known inviolable secrecy over the true names of the great ancient gods, this is suspected of being
just another transcription-imposed latinization. It is most probably a later conventional term coined by
different transcriptions throughout the ages. However, the simple plain translation of Barb-Aryan
“Dyaus Pitar” is „Soul/Spirit Father‟. To better understand this onomastic complexity and secrecy of
the ancient gods here is how Menander Rhetor epideictic praised the sun god Apolon Sminthios in the
late 3rd century AD:
“By what names shall I address you? Some call you Lydian, some Delian, some Ascraean, some
Actian. Others call you Amyclaean, the Pelasgians Patroos, the Milesians Branchiate. You
control every city and land and nation. You control the whole inhabited earth … The Persians
call you Mithras, the Egyptians Orus (Lat. Horus), the Macedonians Ares, the Thebans Dionys,
the Delphians honour you by the double name of Apollo and Dionys … The Chaldaeans call you
the leader of the stars.”
The most original preserved and credible version however, of the old Horned God, and its only
surviving original name as from 2nd millennium BCE (which isn't a mere epithet, or hasn't been
Latinized as “Ceraunnus”) is “Veles”, and it survived across the Middle Ages as Central and Eastern-

Above: the forest god Veles, and Czech illustrated book “v lese” (“In the forest”)

European god of woods and animals par excellence. It was testified as early as in Hittite as 'Walis' – the
god of forests, cattle and harvest. His very name 'Veles'65 reveals precisely what his divine mastery was
and accordingly it means the “Great-(of the)-forest” - „Ve-les‟ in plain Macedonian, where the syllable

65
Volos, Vörsa, Leshy, etc. were other vernacular versions of his name.

50
'Ve' stands for “Veliki” - the „Great‟, while the “Les“66 is 'forest'67 (both in Macedonian, Russian, Czech,
Polish, Slovakian, Slovenian, etc.). Already Max Vasmer back in 1979 has argued the fact that the origin
of the name of Veles derives from old-Macedonic syllable for “Velik” - „the great‟.68 For comparison we
find the same Macedonic word-composition in “Velemaster” - 'Grandmaster'; “Velegrad” - 'Big-city'69;
“Velmoţ” i.e. "Veliki Moţ" - literaly 'Great-man' (i.e. duke, a lord); “Velesila” - „Super-power‟70,
“Veleposlanstvo” - 'Grand-embassy', “Velelepen” - „wonderful‟71, “Velebit” mountain in Croatia, etc. In
the later traditions he was asigned as the firstborn son of Zemun, the celestial cow of fertility, and Rod,
the supreme primordial cretator god [comparable to Uran(us) and/or Saturn/Cronos]. Thus, the Horned
god Veles was the Great-Lord of forests, and personification of the life force energy in the wilderness
and animals, their protector, but also the protector of domesticated cattle. Comparable also to the Roman
god Saturn, his sacred tree is the willow. Veles is also nicknamed the Hyperborean Dionis (another
Latin-corrupted form of the Barb-Aryan “Dyaus Pitar”), believed also to be interrelated to the Persian-
Hittite-Macedonic sun-god Mitra, thus Vedic Varunah, and like him punishes the oath-breakers with
diseases.72 Accordingly to his solar nature Veles‟s symbol was the Swastika.
Apart from Hittite clay tablets from the 2nd millennium BCE, the “Primary Chronicle”, a historical
record of the early Kievan Rus, which mention a primordial god named Veles several times, is the
second earliest preserved and most important historical record of this deity. He later became “St.Vlaho”,
patron saint of Croatian city of Dubrovnik, and also a Russian saint “St.Vlasiy”, portrayed as an old
shepherd guiding his sheeps. The temple of St.Vlasiy in Novgorod was built on exactly the same spot
where the Veles idol stood for many centuries. In other places it even took over the role of St. Basil.
According to the researches conducted by archaeologists, Moscow was literally built above the rests of
ancient pagan temples. And they existed almost until the time of the “Troubles” (Christian pogroms over
pagans) and the coming to power of the Romanov dynasty. For example, the Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich
wrote to the voivoda Shuisky in 1649, complaining about huge pagan festivities on December 22-2573

66
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=cs&tl=en&text=Les
67
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0*; Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovenian,
Ukrainian, etc. “V lese” (“In the forest”): https://hinative.com/en-US/questions/1183053
68
http://www.makedonski.info/search/velik
69
http://www.makedonski.info/search/velemajstor, http://www.makedonski.info/search/velegrad
70
http://www.makedonski.info/search/velesila
71
http://www.makedonski.info/search/velelepen
72
The Barb-Aryan sun-myths, as has been mentioned, went with the Aryans when they settled in
Persia, and became the religion of the ancient Parsees. Mitra was the name which the Persians gave
to the Sun. After ages had passed, it was utterly forgotten that Mitra was the Sun, and it was
believed that he was the only Begotten Son of God, who had come down from Heaven to be a
mediator between God and man, to save men from their sins. The 25th of December was said to be
the day on which this God-man was born, and it was celebrated with great rejoicing.
73
On the 22nd of December the Sun enters the sign of Capricorn, and appears to remain in the same
place for three days and three nights, and then begins to ascend. Aryan sun-god Vishnu, being
moved to relieve the earth of her load of misery and sin, came down from heaven, and was born of
the virgin Devaki (i.e. „Girl‟ in Sanskrit and Macedonic languages, “Devojka” in plain
Macedonian) on the 25th of December. The Horned Sun-god Dionis was also born on 25th of
December; deified mythological Aroto/Irakles as well. It is noted that the Barb-Aryans too had the
same date festivities of their supreme Heaven-God (Dyaus Pitar/Papaios) and father of all gods,
when the Sun begins its apparent annual northward journey on the 25th of December. Roman Sol

51
that celebrated Kolyada (“Slaughterday”), Usenya (hence Uspenie, adopted as the “Christian rite”; Usil
the Sun-god in Etruscans, Istanu in Hittite, Isa in Sanskrit74, Macedonian Xantus75, Roman Sol Invictus,
etc.), and the "Plov", who celebrated and played everywhere Skomrachy (pagan bacchanalias and
buffoons/drolls).76 Among the areas in Moscow covered by these polytheistic celebrations “Primary

Chronicle” indicated: the Kremlin, Kitay, the Byelii and Zemyanski suburbs, that is almost the entire
territory of Moscow in those years. The tenacity of these ancient traditions was explained also by the
fact that Moscow was founded on a place where were more shrines of the great ancient gods than usual,
it was a single sacred complex of about 8 square kilometers, built as an image of the laws of world
rotation. It is precisely known that these were the seven deities: Rod, Veles, Kupalo, Yarilo, Mokosh,
Perun and Troyan77, a distant reflection and medieval theonyms of the ancient seven gods, the seven
planetary powers from the Pelasgic creation myth of Eurynome, and of her setting a Titaness and Titan
over each planet/day of the week, thus the Seven Cabeiri (Kabeiri) of Samothrace, and seven great gods
celebrated by the Hittites, the Mesopotamians, and many others, to whom they used to sacrify four (4)
rams or goats (to the four cardinal points of the Heaven and Earth), the same way we do today in

Invictus/Mitra‟s birthday was again on the same date. No matter where or how he was called, this
day of rebirth and new hope was said to be his birthday, and it was observed with great rejoicing.
74
http://sanskritdictionary.org/isa
75
“Xantic” - „yellow‟ (like the sun). Ushas is the name of Aurora, the blushing dawn.
76
Scomrachy the later Bogomils and their dialect forms (anglicized Scaramouche), as well as
Carnivals, Peripetias, Badnik, Kolede, and other prechristian manifestations for celebrating the
Solstice, Summer, Sun, Forests, etc.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skomorokh#:~:text=A%20skomorokh%20(%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%
BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%85%20in%20Russian,word%20is%20not%20
completely%20clear.
77
https://slawa.su/letopisi/669-moskva-postroena-na-drevnem-kapishche.html

52
Orthodox Christianity after 3000 and more years, when we celebrate our modern (Christian) saints.
Their divine roles and names reshuffled in different epochs and in different popular traditions diverged a
lot from place to place, but generally they were the same old primordial divinities of heaven, sun, earth,
thunder, forests, rivers, winds, etc. These were the Great Gods of the east, the chthonic primordial seven
Cabeiri/Kabeiri, the primordial Titans, the seven planets and days of the week (Saturn-Saturday, etc.).

The name of Veles appears in the toponyms too, the best-known of which is the city of Veles in
Republic of Macedonia, over which looms a hill of St. Elias the Thunderer. Other examples are Veles in
western Serbia, Velesnica on the Danube, Velesovo in Krajina, Velesto in Russia (Smolensk region),
and Velestovo in Montenegro, Velebit mountain in Croatia78, etc. There‟s also the township of Velestino
(Βειεζηίλν, today disgraced as “Feres”), bearing the testimony of a Macedonic layer in the original
settlement of Thessaly (ethnically Macedonian, until the creation of “Greece” in the 19th century).
He is also testified in Lithuania as Velinas, Velnias, Vels, Old Lithuanian Velionis - „deus animarum‟
(„god of animals‟), and he protects the catle. In doing this he (again) assumes the shape of bull.
Ferdinand de Saussure was apparently the first to suppose the genetic relation of Veles/Velinas with
Vedic Varuna. This ingenious and phonetically impeccable conclusion deserves additional attention in
order to interpret the morphological components of the nouns in question. – The n-sufixes with variable
vowels in their onset (Varunas, Velinas, Taranis, Tharun, Perun, Uran…) are typical of Indo-European
mythological names. Compare Latin: Fortuna, Sanskrit: Varuna, Hittite: Tharunnaš, Slavic: Perun,
Gaulic: Taranis, Mongolic: Tangra, Horned God: Ceraun(us), Macedonic: Leivino(s), etc. Also the
sovereignty over the other world draws the Vedic god Varuna together with the Leivinos/Velinas/Veles
and his numerous other avatars.79 Under the names of Osiris, Tammuz, Adonis, Dionis, Attis etc. the
peoples from Macedonian Peninsula, Western Asia, and Egypt, represented the yearly decay and revival
of life, which they personified as this god of Nature who annually died and rose again from the dead. In
name and detail the rites varied from place to place, in substance they were the same. And in the
religious literature he appears as the youthful partner of the Great Mother Goddess, the embodiment of
reproductive energies of Nature, and much later a comely youth beloved by Aphrodite (i.e. “Foam-
child”) where she is the surrogate mother and lover of him in the form of the mortal shepherd Adonis,
who was killed by a wild boar.

78
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velebit
79
“Contributions to Comparative Mythology: Studies in Linguistics and Philology” by Stephen
Rudy.

53
Above: another perspective of the Cocev Kamen („Tsotsev Rock‟)80, a well known megalith from
the Neolithic Age, used as a sacrificial site (“Trebishte/Kapishte”) until very recent times

80
https://mysticmacedonia.wordpress.com/northern-macedonia/cocev-kamen/cocev-kamen-16/

54
Right: ancient stone idol from Ukraine

Next page: astonishingly similar anthropomorphic stelae “Dimov Grob” from Ulanci in R. of
Macedonia (13/12 century BCE)

55
56
Seen the impossibility to eradicate his widespread millennial popularity, the cunning church institutions
in the west with time have shamelessly assimilated, refurbished, and transformed the Horned
God/Veles/Vołos into St. Nikola (today utterly humiliated and reduced to a clownish „Santa Klaus‟, a
clear allusion to a „clown‟!). And, as if this wasn‟t enough, Coca-Cola Company painted him in red
when they started to use him in the Christmas advertising campaing as of 1930‟s. Thus, his original
dignified appearance, daunting millennial worship, and the very holy name of this powerful primordial
deity were altogether muddied and systematically eradicated with fire and sword by the monotheistic
Catholicism. Instead of powerful and temible Horned God, the western church promoted a mockery-
substitute of the same, with pretty much alike attributes, and celebrated at the very same date (22-25
December), but re-branded as “Christian” and absolutely unrecognizable under completely new name.

Above: delusional modern allusion of the primordial Horned God, which today is the
“Christian” replacement Santa Claus (St. Nicolas), accordingly in a slide pulled by reindeer

The pledged millennial genocide for extermination of all the other polytheistic religions was merciless,
the church and Inquisition systematically hunted down and condemned every original credo, and all the
previous manifestations of the celestial Horned God/Veles/Leivinos/Dionis/Mitra/Sol Invictus and his
original appearances were portrayed as “Demonic” or “Satanic”. Only the new Christian-re-branded
“Santa Klaus” version, with no apparent links to its original pagan form, was admitted. And not only!
Monotheistic as it is, Christianity however reserved and monopolized the 25th December as the
exclusive birth date of their only god and last avatar of all the previous Horned and Celestial Sun-gods,
only now under the name of Jesus Christ.

57
To make a point of these religious and linguistic intransigencies, locked between the millenniums-old
past and today Macedonian language and Macedonians in general, there are many other examples.
Beside the above mentioned primordial Horned God/Veles there is also the primordial Horned Goddess,
Elen, (Lat. Helen, Nehalen), praised as the goddess of the ways, roads and hosts, but also the wisdom,
sacred wildwoods and paths that cross both nature and human soul. She was also known as the Etruscan
deity Voltumna, or as the horned goddess “Kern”, which is again a Latin exonym of later period. And
once again, the name “Elen” in other modern languages has no meaning whatsoever that can be related

to her mythological but apparent deer-like features; but, it has exactly the expected sense in
Macedonian, where the word “Elen” accordingly means and is correctly „deer‟ or „stag‟.81 And that‟s
not all. There‟s also another more plausible explanation in Macedonian etymology of why the word
“Elen” is related to the ways, roads, deer and hosts. It reveals its original sense from totally another
perspective. Namely, the conventional western dictionaries claim that “Elen” comes from “Helen”82,
which is further explained as the corrupted version of “Selene” - a „goddess of the moon‟ (who was also
known as “Artemis”, “Atargatis”, “Astarte” “Ištar”, also “Hecate”, Roman equivalent “Diana”), which

81
http://www.makedonski.info/search/elen, https://glosbe.com/en/mk/stag
82
https://www.behindthename.com/name/helen

58
is falsely „explained‟ as “Greek word for moon”, but this claim stops there.83 The farce scheme of “it‟s
all Greek to me” doesn‟t explain how or which part of selēnē has something to do with the moon. It
presumes that selēnē means 'light', and the conventional scholars even searched support- words for this
theory in Sanskrit and other sources. The bottom line of this improvised western-Eurocentric theory,
offered as an excuse by today western scholars, is always and again their universal escape-container

“of Pre-greek origin”.84 It is a blatant manipulation with something uninteligible for theм– the same
word (Selēnē) is actually aplied also for the whole Universe/Kosmos (Mkd. “Vselena”)85, and for the
Sun too (Mkd. “Solntze”86, Lat. Solaris/Sol Invictus, Koine: Ilios), thus, it is nothing else than just
another 19th c. Conventional Historiography misinterpretation of the older non-"Greek" word.
In Macedonian we find the correct meaning of the root-word “Selen” (hence “Hellen” too) which
means „displaced, moved‟87, and is of course exactly what moon does across the sky. But, not only the
moon – the sun, stars and planets do that too, and also the big herds of prehistoric reindeer and other
horned beasts, which moved and still move around seasonally, often covering large distances, exactly as
the big herds of reindeer and caribou still do today. And as we all know the reindeer is the only cervid
used in a pastoral economy that is still largelly exploited by the Nomad tribes across Siberia and

83
Plutarch‟s version of this story did suggest Selene (although the manuscripts have the otherwise
unknown Semele) as one of the possible identifications of the goddess, but, the imagery is not
sufficiently strongly connected to the story.
84
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CF%83%CE%AD%CE%BB%CE%B1%CF%82
85
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vselena
86
https://books.google.mk/books?id=iBtQBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA70&lpg=PA70&dq=%D1%81%D0
%BB%D0%BD%D1%86%D0%B5&source=bl&ots=yn_of7Lt-
n&sig=ACfU3U3DGBZvjcCR7NNKukZ-lIIm-
g3euQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj1jsHjr_PpAhXE4aYKHa1_D7g4ChDoATAGegQIChAB
87
http://www.makedonski.info/search/preselen

59
Mongolia as a riding and draft animal.88 However, the domestication of animals over many millenniums
resulted in no significant change in the local nomadic mode of subsistence in the rarely inhabited
Siberian and Arctic regions, which remained focused on hunting, fishing, and gathering. The cultural
shift from foraging to pastoralism happened very slowly, and actually in the case of reindeer never came
to a full completion like with other adomesticated animals. Many tribes eat both domestic and wild
reindeer and keep few decoy animals in their herds for hunting. The inate desire to crowd is the reason

why the reindeer is the only cervid used in a pastoral economy. At the end of the 17th century, most
Arctic and Siberian peoples were still hunter-gatherers with small herds of roughly 20-30 reindeer. But,
the majority are refusing to eat their herds, which are considered as the status-symbols of social
achievement and wealth, and the widespread preference to eat other game than the domesticated animals
was certainly strengthened by religious taboos on slaughtering domestic reindeer (like the horses in
Europe). As attested by an Evenki nomads myth that relates how the great deity who gave domestic
reindeer to humans forbade their slaughter: „If you kill them, there will be trouble – I shall cast you
down to the lower world‟ (Vasilevich 1963: 71). Thus the domestic reindeer were preferentially used for
transport, as decoy animals to attract the wild reindeer, and (in some cases) for milking. These
primordial half-wild animals remained maybe the only surviving link today with the long gone old
world and Nomadic way of living. This is because, as the specific Ice Age-shaped animals, they cannot
be held and in no way treated in farms like the fully domesticated cattle. Simply, they‟re not stable
animals like horses and cows (once wild and free animals too, but now artificially breeded and fully
exploited). They can be only domesticated outdoors and used as source of food, milk and other
purposes, but they cannot be quartered out of their natural environment. And same like in the primitive

88
“The rise of reindeer pastoralism in Northern Eurasia: human and animal motivations entangled”
by Charles Stepanoff, 2017.

60
Neolithic comunnities they are considered common good and status symbol, and kept alive by all
means, thus explicitly killed only for sacrifices or when the game is short, and in this case, only the old
or injured reindeer are slaughtered. Amazingly enough, for our 21st-century modern and technological

mentality, this robust and resistent Ice Age animal is still widelly used by the Russian Army for
everyday military patrols on the border even now. Practically, there are no other means of transport
which can go where these animals can in the Siberian wilderness during the harsh conditions of the
Russian winter.

61
As reminder of these long ago past times, Maria Gimbutas, (1989) notes that the Great Mother Goddess
as doe (in Macedonian/Sanskrit: brest feeding, milking)89 is widespread in historical sources and folk
memories, and the deer-doe was one of the primary forms of the birth-giving goddess from the
Paleolithic era. Her research revealed that the earliest traces of deer cults are found in the Neolithic,
dating about to 14,000 years ago. The evidence from the above mentioned „Shu-Nun‟ (Kamenaya
Mogyla) site, from Cantabrian Spain, and east of the well-known Alta Mira cave-painting site consists
of ritual burial of deer remains in an egg-shaped depression decorated with colored clay and carved deer
antlers; another site reveals sandstone plaquettes with engravings of deer, reindeer, and other animals.
The Sami people of Lapland still see the Reindeer Goddess as linked with the sun Goddess, Geijen-
neite. But not only deer was the horned animal totem. As we saw above (p.27), from the Neolithic
artifacts in Macedonia, many other horned animals like giraffes or extinct sivatheriums were equally
used as horned totems and idols. The later (sacred) bull was also venerated as horned totem because of
his horns.The deer/reindeer myth was found as far south as Macedonian Peninsula ans Asia Minor, as
shown in the image below of the hunting goddess “Artemis/Diana” holding the game of panther and
hind, underlining the immemorial prehistoric times when the large herds of Ice Age animals were still
roaming across the whole Europe. Alike “Elen”, refurbished “Artemis”, “Aphrodite from Efesus” and/or

her Roman version “Diana”, were again just different avatars of the primordial Great Mother Goddess
Mo or Ma (i.e. “Syrian Dea” and/or “Agartis/Astarte/Ištar”, “Kubaba/Kibela/Cybele” from Hittite-

89
http://www.makedonski.info/search/doi, Ѕаnskrit: doha - http://sanskritdictionary.org/doha

62
Phrygian Anatolia), widely known for her natural virtues as mistress of the wild animals and forests. 90
Today modern Europeans have erased from their minds every memory of the ancient ways of herding
and animal-transportation, by which our distant ancestors traveled and migrated from place to place. The
natural rhythms of migration of the big herds of horned and other grazing animals (wild horses for
example) dictated the movements of the people too in the distant past. With the passing of millennia,
these migratory routes were determined jointly by adomesticated animals and their natural needs and
memory, and by herders‟ choices, which are described as a „cyclic circulation of wills‟ between humans
and animals. Hence also this forgotten (but ultimately not „horned‟ or „light‟) meaning in today slightly
corrupted Macedonian word for deer - “Elen” that descended from “Selen” - „resettled, migrated‟.
Accordingly, the romanticized “Elen” (or „Helen/Selene‟) of the ways, roads and hosts, logically finds

its hidden primordial reflections in the following Macedonian words: “Selenye”91 - „migration, moving
away‟, “Naselen”92 - „settled‟, “Odselen”93 - „moved away, migrated‟, “Doselen”94 - „settled in,
90
It is maybe annoying task to repeat time and again the many successive transformations and
ramifications of the First-She and other Supreme gods in many lesser and different goddesses and
gods respectively, but this is an inevitable bone of contention.
91
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sele%D1%9Ae
92
http://www.makedonski.info/search/naselen
93
http://www.makedonski.info/search/otselen

63
immigrated‟, “Selo”[abrev.]95 - „a village, rural settlement‟, “Naselba”96 - „urban settlement, suburbia‟;
but also “Delen”97 - „separated, divided‟, and “Vselena”98 - which means „whole-inhabited (by moving
stars)‟ i.e. the „Universe‟ (which is of course full with moving stars and planets). And last but not the
least, there‟s the ancient popular Macedonian fairytale of Silyan (another corrupted vernacular form of
“Selen”) the Stork, a folk story of a guy that transforms himself into a stork and travels to a faraway
island, where he turns back into human. „Silyan‟ is actually the one who is “Selen” - „migrated,
resettled‟. Which is by the way the actual true meaning of the mythological “Sellen” (dubbed “Hellen”),
a Semitic migrant (i.e. “Sellen”)99 who was also promoted by the mythology storytellers into a supposed
progenitìtor of the Semitic “Hellenes” (i.e. “Selleni/Hellenes”).
All of these popular traditions and words, from “Elen” to “Silyan” tell us the stories of the moon,
stars, (horned) animals, and human‟s traveling and settling away, ways, roads and hosts. Nonetheless, a
common association of the later “Elen” is Mother Deer, a figure of folklore, also related to fertility,
lactation, and childbirth. These attributes all point to her real prehistoric origin and hidden personality –
the Great Mother Goddess, Pirwa - „(She) 1rst one‟ of the Hittite pantheon100, i.e. “Prva” in plain
Macedonian.101 She is often described in the literature as a goddess figure, but whatever the state of
religious belief in pre-Christian times, something we don‟t really know, her origins are not religious but
social. She is a totemic mother figure and a founding ancestor of the group. This is more in complying
with the tribal cultures before the advent of great monotheistic religions reshaped these older ideas.
And of course, Elen/Sellene is without question just another archaic version of
Kibela/Cybele/Rhea/Artemis/Aphrodite/Diana, all different-regions syncretizations of the ancient Great
Mother Goddess of the forests and fertility, wild animals and trees, mountains and hilltops. In her
numerous other appearances she is always presented as siting on her throne (beside her consort Adad or
Attis) surrounded by lions, goats, cattle, pigs, bees, snakes, birds, etc. As the Phrygian Earth Mother
Kibela, by poetic license, at only a relatively late period she was reduced to the role of mortal and the
daughter of Kadmo, Semela. Apollodorus, also, had equated Semela with Gea. The Phrygian
inscriptions inform us that this goddess was still highly regarded there in AD 200-300. How much
greater her significance must have been a thousand years before? Paul Kretschmer pointed out more
than forty years ago in a remarkable piece of research that there is undisputable certainty that the name
Semele/Zemla could be understood linguistically: „Kibela/Semela/Zemela‟ as a Hittite-Macedonic-
Phrygian root word which was used to characterize the Earth Mother Goddess; that was directly related
to the Macedonian word „Zemlya‟ - earth, soil.102

94
http://www.makedonski.info/search/doselen
95
http://www.makedonski.info/search/selo
96
http://www.makedonski.info/search/naselba
97
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD*
98
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vselena
99
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%9A%D0%B5*
100
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirwa
101
http://www.makedonski.info/search/prva ; https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B2%D0%B0+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1
%88*
102
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zemja

64
Above: young Leivino Dionis (Fufluns) with Mother Earth (Zemla)103 and Apolon (Apulu)

103
“Zemja” in today plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/zemja

65
Веlow: more different multicultural alterations through different regions and ages of the Great
Mother Goddess Mō or Ma; also Go-le-Ma, syncretized into many different goddesses as
Kubaba/Kibela/Cybele/Agartis/Aštarte/Ištar/Rea/Demeter/Artemis/Diana or Dea Syriana, Pelasgo-
Macedonic-Etruscan Ziren/Zeirene thus Roman Ceres, but also Isis and Io; she is mistress of
the wild animals and forests, the Earth-goddess of the hunting, fertility and childbirth,
agriculture and underworld, etc. In the ancient Hittite capital of Karčemiš were found the very
first historical records of her as “Kubaba”; thenater In Old Phrygia, she was called Matar
Kubileya or Kubeleya, Mesopotamian Inana/Ashtaroth/Ishtar, and hence Easter, and so on…

From left to right: Hittite Kubaba from Karčemiš, Artois/Artemis/Aphrodite/Diana from Efesus,
Inanna/Ištar from Mesopotamia Next page: rather modern vision of earth mother goddess
surrounded by animals, and on the throne with her consort Adad/Hadad/Hades/Adonis/Attis

66
In the folklore of Eastern Europe she is also known as the 'Golden Granma' ('Zlatna Baba', 'Zolotaya
Baba'). Her pagan sanctuaries were to be found everywhere on the outskirts of the Old European
civilization and Russian empire farther in the east. Mačiej from Miechów wrote about her in a Latin
treatise on the 'Two Sarmatias' published in 1517: "Behind the earth known as Wiatka, on the road to

Scythia, stands the great pagan lady-goddess Golden Granma [...]. Surrounding peoples venerate this
idol, and everybody passing by or hunting animals will not leave without making a sacrifice. Even when

67
there is no precious gift, one makes a fur of an animal or even a thread drawn from clothing and,
bowing with reverence, goes away." People say that the dream of Golden Grandma is of her as a statue
with the appearance of the old woman, holding her son on her lap, and one more child about whom they
say that it is her grandson. Furtherrmore, the popular tradition says that she supposedly puts some
instruments here and there in the forests, so they can constantly sound in the wind like drums, trumpets
and horns. And accordingly, the primitive instruments were usually made of animal horns and bones off
course, but also of wood too.
And again, this Baba Zlata was probably syncretized further as the evil Baba Yaga and Baba Roga in
the Macedonian Peninsula. Baba Yaga/Roga is said to eat little children, and was practiced as common
terrifier for the little kids. It is most probably related to similar child-eating creatures found in all ancient
pantheons, to whome was allegaited the dying or disappearance of children in past ages.
The equation of horns with trees is another aspect of the prehistoric horned deities. And accordingly,
the next adamant evidence of these primordial indelible ties to the nature, animals and woods, a
testimony still stubbornly preserved throughout past millennia in its most original archaic form, is the
Macedonian word for „ancient‟ - “Drevno”, which is still in relation and has the same meaning with the

Macedonian word for tree - “Drvo”104. Simply, the trees longevity surpassed the life expectation of the
primitive Homo Sapiens for many generations105, and to our distant Macedonic ancestors it seemed that
104
„Tree‟ – in Hittite “Daru”; in Macedonian and Serbo-Croatian “Drvo” (pronounced „drrvō‟);
Russian “Derevo”; Bulgarian “Dervo”; Czech “Dřevo”; Slovak “Drevo”. Anglicized “tree” has
the same root; the word for “Druid” (or “Derwydd”) also derived from “derw” (pronounced
„derroo‟), which is “Gaulic(?)” for „tree‟ and/or „oak‟ (“Dab” in plain Macedonian). “Druids”
were the woods-priesthood, and presided over the secret mysteries of the consecrated groves.
105
From here also the modern Macedonic greeting word for „hello/hi‟ - “Zdravo” in plain
Macedonian, which simply means „health‟, salute, well-being; see “Zdravstvo” – „sanity‟ in plain
Macedonian.

68
the trees, which naturally live for centuries, are almost eternal, and accordingly, they related the idea of
„ancient‟ to the trees. This concept, and the word for „ancient‟ which descended from the word for trees,
remained the same in all Macedonic languages until today - Drevno.
The trees were common objects of worship among all European peoples as well (before their
alienation). By watching their cycles of growth, shedding of leaves, and reblooming in the spring,
humans have long perceived the trees as powerful symbols of life and death, renewal and the eternal life.
Nonetheless, since the beginning of time people have had a sense that trees are sentient beings just like
us, that they can feel pain, and they bleed when they are hurt. The forest has been the backdrop for
poetry, stories and art since the most ancient times. Mythologies always mention trees, often linking
them symbolically to Creation and the World Tree in one design or another. Wood was also conceived
as „containing‟ light and heat that could be released. This is the „burning bush‟ from the Bible. Fire is
often a religious symbol for God‟s creative power (Agni or Mercury are fire gods). Trees, for example,
can be ascribed with elements of personification, through their potential function as the sitting place of

ancestors; thus they can assume the status of an ancestral shrine.By having their roots stuck deep in the
ground, and by growing up high above, the trees were also seen as the natural conduits between the holy
spirits of the earth and sky. Leivino Dionis, whose death and resurrection were celebrated across
Macedonian Peninsula and elsewhere, was worshipped throughout ages as “Dionis of the Trees (Pine
and Ivy)”, and his animal totem par excellence was the Panther, a reknown tree-climber, as the very
Macedonic root word from where it originates “Pentari” - „climbs‟106 testifies. The goddess Ištar, was
represented as originally dwelling in a tree. Accordingly her lover was Tammuz (i.e.
Adonis/Dionis/Attis). It was an ancient custom to use trees as gibbets for crucifixion (or, if artificial, to

106
http://www.makedonski.info/search/pentari

69
call the cross a tree), the tree being one of the symbols of nature-worship, which denoted the fructifying
power of the Sun. All over the world sacred trees were or still are protected by a system of taboos and
ceremonies which were developed to prevent any damage. The worship of sacred trees was widely
practiced all over the Europe as well, until institutionalized Christianity and organizations as Inquisition
severely forbid any idolatry and animism.
However, in the Near and Far East the trees are still respected and adored as real deities. The trees are
the abode of the souls of a righteous persons, and are regarded as the home for the souls of ancestors and
local saints known as Wellis (compare to Hittite Walis and Veles!). And, even if it‟s superfluous and
from today perspective rather embarrassing as a fact, it is worth mentioning that long before the rational
human thought developed, and long before the first manifestations of civilized human behavior was ever
to appear, more than any other place that our most primitive ancestors used as a hideout from dangerous
wild beasts were – the trees. Unaccountably, by struggling for bare survival our ancestors found the
ulterior shelter by hiding themselves high up in the trees. The early tree-dwelling hominids, before
evolving into more able Homo Erectus and Homo Sapiens, were truly living up there. Thus, in our
collective subconscious memory, buried deep inside our hearts and souls, the trees are still our primal
home. The innocent childhood games of climbing on the trees were once not just innocent plain games,
but a life saving rush.
It should be noted that in many depictions of „Sacred Trees‟, a great serpent is said to reside at its
base. These serpents typically guard a forbidden knowledge which only a select number of mortals have
ascertained (it was under the Bodhi tree that the Buddha was said to have gained enlightenment, Adam
and Eve attained wisdom by eating fruit, offered by serpent, from the tree of knowledge, etc.). And as
the tree branches were associated with the antlers of the deer and Horned God, the snakes were seen as
related to the tree roots and mother earth. That was the basic thing that connects the trees and serpents,

their de facto chthonic nature. In the distant past primitive people related the plants growt from the
interred seeds to the possible reincarnation-parallel of their dead, and that‟s how actually the burial
rituals in the ground were introduced at first. In the Macedonian language the relation of the snakes with

70
earth is even more obvious – the Earth is “Zemya”107, the Snake is its metathesis - “Zmeeya”108, and
Dragon is “Zmey”, all derived from the root verb “Zema”109 - 'it takes', as the earth is where every living
creature goes back to when it dies, and where everything turns back at the end, thus the chthonic earth is
the one that takes back (Mkd. „zima‟) everything at the end. Accordingly, both the trees and snakes were
considered as mystical beings in direct relation with the underground, and they were seen as a conduit to
the world below the earth‟s surface, and in relation to the mythological creatures that inhabited that
mysterious world.

To the ancient Macedonians of all the trees especially holy and utterly worshiped was and still is the
oak, which is always prized as the most sacred tree in Macedonia. Oak longevity, attested durability and
extreme hardness, were decidedly appreciated and considered as the most practical attributes for a wood.
And the Oak tree did helped them to build strong weapons and durable homes, temples and palaces (it is
known fact that Oak hard wood is incredibly resistant to worms and many other external influences,
which different types of wood cannot withstand). Oak logs, despite the abundance of other tree species,

107
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zemja
108
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zmija
109
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zema

71
were specifically used to cover the burial chambers. Macedonian tribute to their par excellence sacred
trees can be clearly seen in the royal golden crowns of the Aegead (Lat. Argead) dynasty, discovered in
some of their royal tombs. Their golden diadem-crowns are made in the form of oak branches and leafs.

Above: two of the Macedonian royal diadem-crowns in a form of oak leaves

The veneration of the Oak tree in Macedonia miraculously survived until today. In rather reduced form,
but during the “Badnik” festivities Macedonians still practice their worship to this sacred tree by
bringing at home an Oak branch, which they put near the fire place or in some other visible place in their
homes. This traditional custom is still considered a good omen and pledge of submission to the good
will of forgotten olden gods, to the sacred trees and holy groves, for wealth, health, and happiness of the
family. And even this prehistoric tradition is now completely absorbed by the church institutions, and
celebrated as “Christian” tradition.

72
73
 Plants and animals remained the basic source for people‟s imaginary divine embodiment and praise
of the forces and elements of nature. Their images are found on innumerous artifacts, sacred objects,
statues, or coins. And even though we don‟t worship them anymore as we used to in the prehistoric and
ancient times, they‟re still predominant and omnipresent emblems of success, force, speed, sexuality,
etc.

Above: zoomorphic coins from Metapontum in Lucania (550-500 BCE), from Akantion (400 BCE),
and „Pan‟ from the city of Ichnai in Lower Paionia/Macedonia

Below: zoomorphic symbolism and animal images used in today marketing as embodiment of
the strength and success of today modern centers of wealth and power

74
75
 Old MACEDONIC RITUALS
the Dog sacrifice, Snake blessing, Life fire, Afterlife,
Budnik's branches of Oak, Skomrahi, Panagyuri, etc.

Rather than being altered, vestiges of the past are almost unchanged in some rural areas, as are the
Macedonian folk beliefs from the immemorial past. Even now we regularly practice rituals and sacred
customs of which no one is aware anymore how old they are. Bringing home the green branch of Oak
tree for Badnik, or spring wearing of Red and White “Martinki” threads made of wooll (or cotton), are
traditions far much older than our collective memory can recall. Instead of going in the holy groves to
celebrate the Sacred Oak of our ancestors, now we bring a small part of this holy Macedonian tree in our
modern homes. And these are incredibly old traditions, so old that no one could‟ve define how old. But,
the modern archaeology has succeeded in defining a more accurate timeframe.
The long lineage of continuity in these extremely old rituals and popular traditions is confirmed by
archaeological research. It all started in 1969, when Maria Gimbutas, Milutin and Draga Garašanin (in
cooperation with the Štip Museum) obtained the permission for excavations at the Early Neolithic site
south of Skopje. Eugene and Anna Sterud, veterans of Obre, who worked at Sitagroi for a few weeks,
joined them in the hamlet of Anza (or „Anzabegovo‟) too. The domestication of plants and animals was
evidenced at all three sites, with specialist crafters, trade or exchange of raw materials, and only limited
hunting and gathering. Many classes of pottery and figurines of humans and animals, both natural and
schematic, were recovered at all three sites and were ubiquitous at two. However, this far oldest
European prehistoric culture situated on the territory of Macedonia wasn‟t doubted „Macedonian‟, but in
a well known rename-all Eurocentric maner, „Old Europe‟ or „Chalcolithic culture‟. Nevertheless, these
sites underlined the very meaning of „Old Europe‟, an early Neolithic cultural horizon postulated by
Maria Gimbutas. At conferences, in journals, and in “Gods and Goddesses of Old Europe 6000–3500
BCE (a period enlarged today by the more recent archaeological discoveries in R. of Macedonia to 8000
BCE): Myths, Legends and Cult Images” (1974), using voluminous data sets from dozens of prehistoric
sites, Maria introduced the culture of „Old Europe‟: Neolithic and Chalcolithic southeastern Europe,
centered in the Macedonian Peninsula (“Balkans” as of 19th century) and whole Aegean region, but
extending east and west to the Adriatic and Black Seas. Ceramics included highly polished vessels, with
lively bi- or polychrome painting, or with white infilling enhancing the incised or excised designs, easily
taken as products of accomplished potters. Also in these assemblages were seals (pintaderas), human
and animal figurines, and ornaments of shell and bone-artifacts representing technology and symbolism.
Maria described „Old Europe‟ as a wide region of agricultural settlements with a social organization.
She observed occupation over millennia with debris building up over time, forming the mounds
(mogillas, or tells) described in the literature. She further postulated the absence of strife because of the
paucity of identifiable weapons and fortified settlements and the overwhelming presence of figurines
that she identified as female and indicative of a peaceful matrifocal social structure. The 'Old Europe' is
one of Marija‟s most original contributions, which, because of the contention surrounding her pantheon
of gods and goddesses, was at first met with muted interest. But the geography and economy, if not the
social organization, have been accepted.
Indigenous traditions of these ancient and today Macedonians abound with numerous similar ritual
activities, although some correspond with the customs of other ancient peoples. However, these archaic
practices do have specific features that characterize the folk tradition of the ancient Macedonians

76
interpreted and preserved, and can be seen as millennial guardians of the distinct Macedonian identity.
Nontheless, several millennia have passed from the ancient period to the present, and it is a bit
hypothetical to hope to reinterpret precisely the rudiments of customs and celebrations from that time,
but we can allow ourselves to conclude that certain ritual actions from the prehistoric and ancient
periods are still as they were. Even if slightly modified, they still largely correspond to the current
Macedonian folk customs and beliefs, both in terms of time of celebration and in terms of ritual actions,
procedures and symbolism. Their continuity reflects the uninterrupted historical Macedonian identity,
from prehistory and antiquity until today.110 Step by step the prehistoric peoples were discovering and

conquering not only the living space around them, but also the way into the more or less reasonable
explanation of the things and forces of Nature. Questions were countless, plausible answers few.
Lacking the necessary level of knowledge and technical means that could‟ve offered them a rational
comprehension of the natural forces, the primitive humankind first turned to Cultic practices and
Rituals111, by symbolic imitating of the animals, plants, and elements behavior in general. In strive to
explain everything that surrounded them, lacking a minimum of scientific clue, through a lot of
ignorance and frustrated imagination humans avenged into unprecedented intricate worlds of
mystification and magic. A ritual worship system that gradually emerged was first characterized
byprimitive ideas concerning a multitude of ghosts and spirits of animals and/or other natural forces and

110
See “Customs of the Ancient Macedonians in Macedonian National Traditions” by Lidia
Kovacheva.
111
Numerous sites of offering-places from Neolithic were discovered acrossMacedonia. Traces of
ritual fires, ash deposits, fragments of charcoal and burned organic material, animal bones, horns
and antlers, and other libations were discovered in numerous sanctuaries. Feasts are considered as
communal food consumption events during these rituals. As such they match the public character
of the sanctuaries. See the Conference Proceedings of “Giving gifts to the gods” by Kumanovo
Museum, 2018: https://kumanovomuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/KOKINO-WEB-
02_04_2018.pdf

77
elements. What prevailed in connecting different animals and plants with the basic elements of nature
were their obvious and most accentuated attributes. Thus, the Ant, Vulture, and the Snake were chthonic
creatures in relation with the underground and the dead, the Fish and Horse were associated with the
water (it was even recorded by ancient authors that the Macedonians fed their horses with fish!)112; the
Eagle, Ram and the Bull were animals commonly linked and favored as the symbols of the Sun and/or

Thunder,because of their most obvious nature – they charge unstoppably and hit straight ahead, directly
and with ardor, exactly like the Sunrays and/or Lighthning; cow and pig were related to fertility; Lion
with fire, etc.
In order to bind together, the first primitive communities had established a cultic animism, totemism,
and other ritual practices that after while became a worship. In its earliest form they were based on the
most primitive beliefs and linked to practically everything – the earth, hills, mountains, caves, rocks,
streams, lightning, wind, the sun, the moon, and many more things (beside the animals and plants). They
were all considered to be alive, or possessed by spirits, and to all of them were attributed look-alike
mythological personalities and corresponding nomenclatures. The very first words were also different
forms of the basic abstract ideas about the most basic things and elements. For example the tree, “Drvo”
in plain Macedonian, it gave also the base for the abstract concept of “Tvrdo” [Metathesis of „drvo‟] -
„hard‟113 and/or “Zdravo” - „healthy, strong‟, and it also gave the base for the concept of „ancient‟ -
“Drevno”, as already mentioned in the introduction above. Thus the priests of Woods were the “Druids”

112
https://vetzoo.lsmuni.lt/data/vols/2008/44/en/antikas.pdf ; Erodot in his “Histories” recorded the
habit of ancient Macedonians to feed their pack horses with fish.
113
Or vice versa, maybe the concept for „hard‟ (i.e. “Tvrdo”) was the basic idea in defining the
„tree‟ (i.e. “Drvo” ) in plain Macedonian.

78
(from Macedonic “Drvo” - tree), the priests of Leivino Dionis were known as “Koryvantes” - i.e. „Ivy-
bearers‟ (from “Korov” - „weed‟ in plain Macedonian - ivy and other invasive plants, all generally

Above: Ivy decoration above the dancing Koryvantes (i.e. „Weeders‟), from an Etruscan tomb in
the cave of Triclinio
defined as „weed‟)114; the celestial Bull was Ur (hence Urus and Ta-urus)115 because when thunder hits
from the sky and when the enraged bull charges – it „demolishes/crashes‟ everything – “Uriva” in plain
Macedonian116 (see also “Uraa/Hurrah” exclamation, and “Urto” in Italian)117. This archaic etymology
of all these common words hides the testimony and indelible links with our most distant past.
Further, the very root of the words for holy rite, i.e. Sacred and Sacrifice, reveals their Macedonic
origin: PIE *seh2k-/ *sh2k- [verb] - Macedonian “Seči” - „cuts‟, thus “Sekira”118 - „axe‟ (Lat.
“Skure”)119; also “Sekna” - „sudden interruption, abrupt halt (literally „cutting the flow‟)120, “sekol ” -
„(was) cutting‟> Hittite “šāklāi” - „sacrifice rite‟ (the act of immolation) > modern Macedonian “Zakla,
zakoli ” - „slaying, cutting (the throat)‟ respectively; but also “sakat”121 - „mutilated, crippled‟ in plain
Macedonian; in Tocharian B sākre - „happy, blessed‟, metathesis of Macedonian “Sreken”122 - „happy‟;
hence the Latin sacer and/or sacrum/sacrificum - „to be sacrificed‟, further related to sancire - „to
114
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2*
115
https://www.wordnik.com/words/urus
116
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B0; hence
also “Rovya” - „thunder‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%84%D1%98%D0%B0
117
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/italian-english/urto
118
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sekira
119
http://www.etimo.it/?term=scure&find=Cerca
120
http://www.makedonski.info/search/seknuva
121
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82*
122
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sre%D1%9Cen

79
punish‟ (see „sanction‟ for example). The killing in the name of god(s) was and still is the macabre other
side of every religion throughout the ages – animal and human sacrifice for satisfying the “god‟s will” is
long practiced, and still is a shocking human behavior even today in the 21st century AD.

Above: the sacred double-axe (Lat. Labrys), omniрresent as a cult object as from the
Neolithic, first as the symbol of power of the Great Mother Goddess Mo/Ma (hence its name
“Molnya” - „lightning in plain Macedonian), thenafter of the powerful male Thunder gods; an
obvious culprit and early prototype of what will much later become the symbol of Cross in
Christianity
Without remorse or minimal reasonable excuse, after thousands of years of human history, it remains
one of the most horrid and dark sides of our primitive nature. Numerous „Trebišta/Kapišta‟123 (Lat.
„Sacrarium‟ i.e. „Sacrificial altar‟) of all types, sizes, periods and religions are scattered ascross the
whole Europe and the rest of the world. There, our most irrational thurst for blood and crude need
(“Treba” - „need‟ in plain Macedonian) for killing were satisfied in a numerous gruesome ways, with the
excuse of “god‟s will”.

123
“Kapi”[verb] – „drops (blood in this case)‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kapi

80
One such primitive sacrificial tradition, but undeniable striking testimony of the original ethnic oneness
and most profound traditional connections across the Aegean Macedonic urheimat, is the particular
apotropaic lustration-ritual of the Hittites and Macedonians. A rite of purification by passing the whole
army, headed by their king, between the two separated раrts of the sacrificed dog cut in half.124
Practiced by Macedonians before the war campaigns, or regularly in the dog-month (January) of
Peritios125 according to the ancient Macedonian calendar, this flagrant animalistic-magical ritual of
purification is firmly reported by the ancient sources as common Hittite/Macedonic custom par
excellence. Ritual‟s name “Peripetia”126 survived until modern times, but it lost its original prehistoric
meaning, and today is only a Macedonian word for „a thrill, a hurdle‟. In the Hittite ritual of the Routed
Army127 we see a typical dog-severing ritual: if the troops were defeated (or before the campaign) they
must pass through a “gate” made of haw-thorn. The purpose of the gate with its thorns is to „scrape off
the impurity‟ from the offerants as they pass through. The two halves of the severed animal were placed
on either side of the thorny gate, in order to absorb the impurity that falls from the passerbies. It had
been also suggested by some scholars that the passing between the two pieces of a severed dog was
actually an admonition, as actually simple but very suggestive example of what awaits the army if they
don‟t act united and strong.

Above: ancient votive dog statue from Asia Minor. Museum of Louvre

The Romans, who also adopted this ritual from the Macedonians, due to calendar reforms introduced by
them, practiced it one month after under the name of “Februa” (Februalia, also Februatio) and/or

124
Nade Proeva (1997, 168); see also Billie Jean Collins “The puppy in Hittite ritual” (1992).
125
Lat. “Peritios” which now corresponds to the modern Julian-calendar month of January; today
“Pess” - „dog‟ in plain modern Macedonian; see also Spanish “Pero” - „dog‟, remnant of the
ancient pre-Latin Iberian idiom.
126
http://www.makedonski.info/search/peripetija
127
Thus named by some Hittite scholar, although the logic of this assumption it is not clear.

81
“Lupercalia”, and the Macedonian rite thus became known as „Februa/Lupercalia‟. Thus „februa‟ was
purification feast held in this month. Etymologicaly is related to “trebva”, modern Macedonian “Treba”
- „needs‟, which remained in use until today and is recognizable as widespread Macedonic toponym
“Trebishte/Trebenishte”. Places named “Trebishte” or “Trebenishte” denote a „needs-place‟ for
sacrifice, and are present across the whole central, soutneastern and eastern Europe. According to Ovid,
„Februare‟, as a Latin word derives from an earlier Etruscan word referring to purging, and as we know
Etruscans resettled to the Apennine Peninsula from the Aegean region too.128 Actually, it is known that
Etruscan deity Februus was a god of the underworld and of purification, and is practically oversea
version of Zagreus, the first Orphic Dionis from the prehistoric era. Month of February, which was his
sacred month, was named after him. Roman priests were forbidden to touch or mention dogs; Brahmans
in India too, for yet unknown to us reasons they must not read the sacred Vedas when they hear a
barking dog.
However, this particular Hittite-Macedonic dog-sacrifice ritual and its religious or spiritual aspects
are yet to be fully understood. Because as we know the dog is the first ever animal that humans managed
to domesticate, as from the early Stone Age, and the origins of this by all means very archaic ritual is
undoubtedly rooted in the very antecendent period of human history. Recent findings showed that dog‟s
relationship with humans date back to at least 40,000 years ago.

Above: Polychrome tracing made by the archaeologist Henri Breuil from the cave
painting of a wolf-like canid discovered in the Font-de-Gaume cave, Dordogne, France
dated to 17,000 years ago

Next there‟s the most archaic known chthonic ritual of the Great Mother Goddes Mō or Ma129, still
practiced by Macedonian peoples. A distant echo from our immemorial past, right infront of the eve of

128
https://www.definitions.net/definition/februa
129
Hence anglicized “Mom” and more common “Mama” – double appelation “Ma-Ma” is the
most archaic way of exclamation and veneration of someones supremacy, a sign of great
admiration and magnificence – by simple way of saying it twice. Examples: “Na-Na” (i.e. “Ba-
Ba” in plain Macedonian) - „grandmother‟, “Pa-Pa”(Italian) - the „pope‟, “Ta-Ta”(Serbocroatian)
- „father‟, “Ra-Ra”(Italian) - „rare‟, “Ga-Ga” - „overexcited‟ or „irrational‟, etc.

82
her birthday (the Old New Year Day) on 23rd March130, every year in today Republic of Macedonia
there is still this incredibly archaic tradition of the festivity known as “Mladenci”131, when this strange
chthonic usance is observed – people leave parts of their clothes or personal objects in the places where
the snakes dwell, so the snakes can pass over them, which is considered as a very good omen and
blessing to fertility. It‟s even thought by the local people that the snakes in these days are not venomous.

Above: Macedonian chthonic Snake-ritual observance of the ancient birthday of the Great

130
The New Year's Day was changed from March 25 to January 1 only in 1752, and dates using the
new calendar were designated „New Style.‟
131
„Youngsters/Young couples-day‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/mladenci , https://off.net.mk/bavchi/tihomir/praznikot-na-
zmijata

83
 Mother Goddess on the night between the 23rd and 24th of March132

Another incredibly primitive ritual, which by its nature was recognized as exceptionally primordial
practice that descends from the Neolithic, if not the very Paleolithic, is the purification ritual of the “Life
Fire” (in some places also known as “Wild Fire”). From its very “invention” the fire was worshiped as
deity, considered a powerful spirit and supernatural force. Its elemental power was unquestionably
feared and respected by the primitive people through numerous beliefs and apposite customs. One of
these rituals, which survived countless millenniums, is the “Life Fire”. As purification tool and remedy
against demons, deceases, and even epidemies, indifferently for humans and animals, the “Life Fire”
was evoked and strictly obtained by rubbing of two dry pieces of hazle wood. The very mode in which
this “Life Fire” is made, points to an unprecedentedly old ritual, which is prohibitively behind our
possibilities for comprehensive chronological or historical dating. Namely, the ritual was usually
performed when unexpected epidemic or other unwanted misfortune would‟ve hit the cattle or people,
and instigated by the archaic belief that the “Life Fire” is the only sure remedy. In order to make it
function all other fires (in the village) must‟ve been extinguished, even the smallest candle or thiniest
spark. Then two chosen, usually young and healthy male persons, were committed to go in some hidden
place, in order to avoid any external influences and contamination, where they would‟ve make a fire by
rubbing the two dry pieces of hazle wood. After obtaining the fire they were transporting it to a
previously prepared big ritual fireplace, usually on a nearby hilltop close to the village, where the
purification of the cattle and people was performed by passing it all bellow the burning “Life Fire” in a
specially dug ditch. All the people from the village would‟ve thenafter toke the burning pieces of wood
from the big “Life Fire” to relight the extinguished hearths in their homes. The big fireplace of the “Life
Fire” was then left to extinguish by itself. The ashes that left after the fire went off were equally
considered healthy and beneficial, and they were spread in the stables and with cattle, around the bee
hives, in the planted fields and gardens, and infront of the house doorways, etc. The last known and
scientifically documented practice of the “Life Fire” ritual was recorded in 1970 in the village of
Podmol, near the city of Prilep, Republic of Macedonia.133
Seen the underground passage utilized in this fire ritual, it remains a legitimate proposal to seek the
origin of this Macedonian tradition within the archaic Macedonic cult of elemental forces and mysteries
of the Great Gods of fire, i.e. the Cabeiri/Kaveiri from Samothrace, who were thought to be related to
the powerful fire from the Underworld. Many of these rituals and sacrifices were performed at pits, sites
that were created to enhance the closeness between the man and the gods, particularly those that were
chthonic, or related to the earth and fertility. This type of pit ritual is known as “necromantic,” because
they were attempting to commune with the dead and the gods of Underworld and summon them to the
living world.
As already mentioned on the previous pages, ancient and today Macedonians of all the trees have
especially-holy and utterly worshiped one, the Oak, which is always prized as the most sacred tree in
Macedonia. Oak longevity, attested durability and extreme hardness, were decidedly appreciated and
considered as the most practical attributes for a wood. And the Oak tree did helped them to build strong
weapons and durable homes throughout the ages (it is known fact that Oak hard wood is incredibly
resistant to worms and many other external influences, which different types of wood cannot withstand).
Oak logs, despite the abundance of other tree species, were specifically used to cover the Macedonian
burial chambers, a special homage for the belief in the afterlife. Macedonian exceptional tribute to their

132
https://off.net.mk/bavchi/tihomir/praznikot-na-zmijata
133
“The Ritual-Magic meaning and practice of the „Life Fire‟ in Prilep region” by Velimir
Nikolov Plamenski, 1981.

84
par excellence sacred tree can be clearly seen in the royal golden crowns of the Aegead (Lat. Argead)
dynasty, discovered in some of their royal tombs. Their golden diadem-crowns are made in the form of

Above: two of the Macedonian royal diadem-crowns in a form of oak leafs

oak branches and leafs. The veneration of the Oak in Macedonia had equally deep roots as this sacred
tree, and miraculously survived until today. In rather reduced form and far from the original archaic
rituals performed in the woods (and forbidden long ago by the church institutions), but during the
“Budnik”134 festivities Macedonians still practice their worship to this sacred tree. By bringing at home
an Oak branch, which they put near the fire place or in some other visible place in their homes,
Macedonians remember the long ago forgotten spirit of the god Oak. This traditional custom is still
considered a good omen and pledge of submission to the good will of forgotten olden gods, to the sacred
trees and holy groves, for wealth, health, and happiness of the family.
Another chthonic ritual, that survived past millenniums and is deeply rooted among Macedonians, is
seen through their belief in afterlife and the practice of „All-Souls‟ days. It was utterly practised by the
numerous elaborate ancient tombs, built for private individuals and filled with expensive grave goods -
custom that underline their Macedonic characteristic. Underlining their different sociopolitical customs
and religious contrasts ancient Macedonians themselves contributed the construction of rich Macedonian
tombs and consequently the impoverishment of Macedonian temples, on contrary to the Peloponnesian
city-states. The Semitic Danaan cities in the south were small, largely autonomous communities with a
strong inward orientation and an equally strong sense of civic-mindedness among their inhabitants.
These polises frequently restricted the size and richness of family tombs by means of sumptuary laws,
while simultaneously emphasizing communal building projects. Macedonia on the other hand, was a
large kingdom dominated by an aristocracy that had the wealth, desire, and freedom to invest in familiar
rather than civic monuments. Macedonian kings close relations with the kingdom of Persia in the last
quarter of the 6th century BCE, and Macedonia‟s sociopolitical structure resembled more closely a
Persian monarchy than a city-states merchants slavery (today incredibly misinterpreted as “democracy”).

134
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA*

85
It is not coincidental that Macedonian architectural remains, which skew toward palaces and tombs
rather than temples, have more in common with Persian sites than Peloponnesian ones. From the 4th
through the 2nd centuries Macedonians built elaborate resting places, the so-called „Macedonian tombs‟.
These tombs consist of a built burial chamber, square or rectangular in shape, with a barrel-vaulted roof.
After the tomb was finished and the deceased had been buried the entire structure was covered by an
earthen tumulus. The exterior facades of the more impressive examples are made from plaster moulded
and painted to mimic temples. These tombs were too expensive to build and were the result of elite
excessiveness. They are rather abundant; over 70 have been excavated in the recent years, and many
known tumuli have yet to be explored. The abundance, expense, and nature of the objects used as grave
goods there strongly suggest a desire to prepare the deceased for the afterlife. This deep-seated belief in
the life after death was very clear distinction that set apart Macedonians from the newly intromitted
Semitic Danaans. That belief clearly served as a powerful incentive for the nobile Macedonians in
antiquity (as well for today rich Macedonians) to invest their wealth in tombs and grave goods rather
than in temples dedicated to their pantheon.
Even today it remained as clear Macedonic ritual par excellence, when no less than three or four
times in the year Macedonians practice the observance of “Zadushnitsa”(i.e. libation „For-Souls‟)
and/or “Duhovden” („All-Souls‟-day‟).135 Practiced by all the Macedonian people, who go to visit their
dead relatives and friends on the graveyards and cemeteries. Here they remain for the entire night,
feasting and cheering with libations on the graves of their deceased.

135
https://www.magazin.mk/%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0-
%D0%B5-
%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%83%D1%88%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0-
%D1%83%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5-%D0%B5-
%D0%B4%D1%83%D1%85%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD-
%D0%BF%D0%B5/

86
Above and next page: two of the recently unearthed ancient megalithic royal tombs
in today Republic of Macedonia and Aegean Macedonia respectively

87
Indigenism (Continuity Theory), Comparative Linguistic, and Genetical Sciences proved that these
strong primordial traditions were transmitted from generation to generation throughout the millennia.
For the most of the above mentioned ancient Macedonic rituals and cults there‟s however no perfect (or
written) evidence and absolute certainty of their exact arrangement and precise meaning. But from the

countless archaeological sites and dedicated artifacts, which had been agreed that have no practical
utility other than the religious one, the overall general conclusions and guidelines were inevitably
postulated. The belief in the relationship between this world and the world of spirits, between humans,
animals and plants, account for and explain many of the myths and superstitions of early man. The
primordial gods and goddesses that sprang from the context of Neolithic cattle herding and first
agricultural settlements were merely a continuation of the older rituals and traditions of Fertility Cults,
Animism and Shamanism. Today Kukerski, Baburski, Brumalia, Russalia, Skomrahi, Zadušnitsa,
Duhovden animistic cults and gathering rituals are nothing else but the reduced form of these same,
most ancient Macedonic traditions, which survived until our time.

88
 Above: an Ibex petroglyph and ancient statue of mythological 3-headed (“Triglav” in
plain Macedoniaqn) Aion/Dionis/Osiris/Attis, with Macedon (Wolf) and Anubis (Dog)136

The early agricultural communities then attached significance also to the risings and settings of fixed
stars and star-groups (Pleiades, Hyades, Orion, Sirius, Arcturus, etc.). The gods and goddesses were
related to the animals as well as to the celestial bodies, constellations, and their regular movements and
rotations were translated as their will and deified signs of the celestial events that reflect in our world.
Platon, Aristotel, Theophrast, all used risings of stars and solstices to specify times of the year. Thus, the
zodiac/zoomorphic attributes and animistic features of the ancient pantheons persisted throughout
following epochs and religions also thanks to the Astrology. Stars were again and first of all just another
big zoo, only up in the sky.

136
Diodorus Siculus (90-21 B.C.E.) in "The antiquities of Egypt", 1st chapter of his 'Bibliotheca
Historica' which is based mainly on 'Aegyptiaca' of Hecataeus of Abdera. Diodorus in 18.1 relates:
"Osiris was accompanied on his campaign, as the Egyptian account goes, by his two sons Anubis
and Macedon, who were distinguished for their valor. Both of them wore the most notable symbols
of war, taken from animals whose character was not unlike the boldness of the men - Anubis
wearing a Dog's skin and Macedon who wore the fore-parts (the paws) of a Wolf; and it is for this
reason that these animals are honoured among the Egyptians. Macedon his son, moreover, he left
as king of Macedonia, which was named after him." According to Erodot (lat. Herodotus)
"Osiris/Bousiris" was the Egyptian Dionis, and the house of Ptolemies claimed their descent from
Dionis.

89
All that changed with the emergence of a two-class system, itself related to the increasing density of
population made possible by agriculture. Other social changes, such as the growth in the market
resulting from the first widespread use of coinage, the development of bureaucracy and law, as well as
new levels of urbanization, are less directly associated with religion but are part of the same great
transformation that got underway in the 1st millenium BCE. Accumulation of the cultivated goods
created more free time other than that implied in the mere search of food. Free time activity spawned
myriad of specialized activities, different craftsmanship, and finally – social classes.
The gods also fragmented into numerous classes and covered different rituals and belief features.
And often they were simply called by different names, even though it was the very same divinity.
Derveni Papyrus from Macedonia clearly states that the Earth (PIE *Ghe-, Γε, Gea), the Mother
(Ma/Mater, Μήτηπ, Deamater/Demeter), Rǽa (Pέα), Hera, Íra and/or Zeirene were one and the same.
Her different double/triple nature was even represented with images of her with two or three and more
faces or heads, than also she appeared as the 3-headed Hecate, who in her place was often associated
with forest spirits and magic. She also was frequently identified and interchanged with “other” goddess
surrogates, Artemis and Selene. In many cases this multiple interpretations and transliterations while
migrating from one region to another could be applied for other gods and goddesses too: Sumerian

90
Ningal - Macedonic Nina - Etruscan Uni - Roman Juno; Macedonic Ares (from “Yarets” - „capricorn‟ in
plain Macedonian) - Roman Mars, Egyptian (H)orus, Hittite Tharun - Macedonic Perun (i.e. “Striker”) -
Roman Saturn - Christian St.Elliah; etc. Soon, the wealthier upper-status group tended to monopolize
political and military power, and toke the advantage of superior religious status as well. This
transformation is visible in the cult objects and tokens, which gradually passed from their primitive
animistic shape toward the final anthropomorphic rejection of any animalistic feature. This total
anthropomorphy was utterly implemented by the Christians, seen their innate fear and centennial
experience as food for the lions and other carnivorous beasts in the Roman theaters.

An example of this irreversible transition from animism toward the anthropomorfic religion is offered
by that prodigious and cosmopolitan Macedonian, Alexander the Great. As founder of the city of
Alexandria, while in Egypt, he refused however to pay tribute to the bull god Apis, “declaring that he
was accustomed to worship gods, not cattle”. His prophetic statement was utterly confirmed in the
coming ages, and the mighty bull from sacred became just a sacrificial item, first of Mitra, who was the
next one in the lineage of solar avatars and the celestial Horned-gods (Dyaus, Papaius, Ceraunus,
Leivino-Dionis…), and the bull thenafter became just a common oblation for all occasions (see further
below the Taurobolium and Criobolium). This was due to the complete extermination of the big wild
beasts by the humanity, and the unreserved domestication of what remained from the nature‟s
assortment of animals that were suitable for controlled cultivation. Humans had nothing to fear from in
the dense forests anymore, so they started to worship and fear only humanoid gods, as the humans
remained the only serious danger they feared most, themselves.
Purely anthropomorphic deities were slow to develop, gods and goddesses were almost always
viewed as hybrid forms, part human and part animal. Beside different names, they could‟ve still take the
shape of all the animals, birds, fishes, trees, stones, and all the gods could‟ve take all and any known
form at will. Egyptian and Hindu gods could do the same. This metamorphosis is plainly observable in
the testimony of Egyptian monuments, where so plastically can be seen the initial animal aspects

91
attributed to the natural forces and celestial phenomena. These remarkable monuments show the
chronological succession and the primordial appearance of the prehistoric spirits of nature, before and
after the staging of divine antropomorphism.

Above: metamorphosis of the sun god Amon Ra from his initial animal form, passing through
his function as the supreme god-protector of the pharaon, and much later transformation into
anthropomorphic ram-horned Amon Zevs from the Classical Period

The primordial animistic aspect of the religion was further preserved through public animal sacrifices to
the gods, macabre rituals stubbornly practiced even today in the 21st century, as public spectacles in
some retarded regions of the world.

92
Gods were still an assemblage of natural forces, and it is only human‟s disdain for nature‟s kingdom (its
“abhorrence of all reality”) which has blinded it to the fact that nature recapitulates in God(s). Thus, the
emergence of true cult with the complex of gods, priests, worship, sacrifice, and in some cases divine or
priestly kingship, were the religion next characteristic features. The earliest depictions of gods in human
form show a body usually without separate limbs. Small bone or clay figurines, most of them depicting
anthropomorphic totems or gods, that have been interpreted as votive offerings in the places of worship.
Also the tattoos from the very few preserved prehistoric mummies testify the first primitive votive
designs and magic symbols dedicated to unknown early gods and demigods.
From that unclear primordial cauldron of nameless spirits, animal deities and anthropomorphic
totems, first to evolve into easily recognizable deity in the Neolithic Age was the Great Mother Goddess.
The Great Mother Goddess was regarded as immortal, changeless, and omnipotent; and the concept of
fatherhood had not been introduced yet into religious thought. She took lovers, but for pleasure, not to
provide her children with a father. Men feared, adored, and obeyed the matriarch; the (fire) hearth which
she tended in a cave or hut being their earliest social centre, and motherhood their prime mystery. Thus
the first victim of an ancient public sacrifice was always offered to her. Now, this is our best guess and
wishful scenario projection of maybe how we overembroider the image of her role, in the times of which
we know very little. Her prehistoric role was probably a fertility fetish, worn or worshiped as a magical
object or amulet to ensure birth, and she bear no clear markers of divinity. Not only the moon, but, to
judge from Imera/Himera137 and Grairme of Ireland, the sun, were the goddess‟s celestial symbols. Her
own sacrificial animal was a domestic pig and/or cow. She never takes part in wars or disputes. Like
later Artemis/Diana and Athene/Minerva, moreover, she has always resisted every amorous invitation

137
According to Hesiod she was a daughter of Ereb and Nikta ( the goddess of the night) and Talasa
her child; same also in “De Natura Deorum” by Cicero.

93
offered to her by titans, gods, or others. However, numerous votive places on the hilltops and sacred
groves, and first primitive altars and temples dedicated solely to the Great Mother Goddess were already

Above: Some of the numerous early Neolithic figurines of the Great Mother Goddess,
Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Macedonia

frequent in the Neolithic. Today remnant of her worship is the popular forest fairy, which in plain
Macedonian is now known as Samovila (or Šemvila), a clear declension of the Pelasgo-Phrygian
Kibela/Zemela/Semela, the mythical mother of Leivino Dionis.

94
 Above: another one of the numerous Etruscan bronze mirrors showing Apulu (Apolon) with
young Fufluns (Etruscan name of Leivino Dionis) embraced by his mother Zemla (Earth)

The rite of passage from childhood to maturity in Macedonia was also closely related to the observance
of the primordial cult of Leivino Dionis, and that can also be seen in Erodot, as described by the Persians
who came to the Macedonian king Aminta to demand land and water. Aminta invited them to attend a
lavish banquet, to which they asked to be escorted by Macedonian girls. But, Alexander, son of Aminta
refused to let the girls to be ravished, and instead ordered several beardless boys to dress in female
clothes and sit down with the Persians in disguise. When the Persians tried to defile what they believed
were girls, the disguised boys jumped up and beat them. In today Republic of Macedonia the ancient

95
custom of pretending and disgusing from reasons of immediate necessity, has been slightly transformed
in the times of medieval Skomrachi, and in today modern society it is practiced during the Christmas

holidays, specifically in celebration of the holiday “Vasilitsa” during the so-called “Unbaptized days”
(Mkd. „Nekrsteni denovi‟) which are the twelve days from “Budnik” on January 7th till “Vodici”
(Epiphany) on January 19th. During that period according to various folk beliefs, various evil spirits
enter the homes of those participating in holiday feasts and try to harm the people inside. In Gevgelija, a
city in southern R. of Macedonia, these days are known as “Pogani (Pagan) days”, elsewhere as
“Ristosovi (Christ‟s) Days”, and so on.
However, according to the etymologists and anthropologists, rites of passage from childhood to
maturity in the Republic of Macedonia are the distant observance of the prehistoric cults of Leivino
Dionis and/or Great Mother Goddess Mō/Ma. These primordial beliefs, rituals and myths showed sturdy
vitality and survived numerous conquerors and influences of various new religious forms. Like the
Zodiac and its unprecedented and uninterrupted observance that descends from the most distant
prehistoric times, zoolatry concepts are still deeply engraved into the subconscious collective memory
and traditions of the people. The previous myths and complex ritual characteristic of primitive religion
continued to exist within the structure of Archaic Religion, when it was systematized and elaborated in
many new ways: “The Pythagoreans also clearly believe Typhon to be a demonic power, for they say
that he was born on an even measure, the 56th; further, they say that the nature of the triangle belongs
to Hades, Dionis and Ares, that of the quadrilateral to Rhea, Aphrodite and Demeter, Hestia and Hera,
and that of the dodecagon to Dzevs, while that of the 56-sided (-angled) polygon is said to belong to
Typhon, as Eudoxus [of Cnidus, Greek astronomer, fl. 370 BCE] has reported…. ”
The transition from nomadic hunter-gatherers way of life to more sedentary pastorial one brought the
fast development and overall progress of the human society and its structures, and a new environment
appeared – the house. Thus, the previous primitive religion and cults blended within this new structure
that became a focal point around which the humanity found its new endowment. The house as
intentionally built functional home was invented thousands of years ago, made of hard immovable
material, and became the new dimension of humanity and civilization. Accordingly, in Macedonia

96
astonishing are the first examples of the primordial Neolithic cult of the Great Mother Goddess, but of
her as a Mistres of the House/Home, of which a sanctuaries and statue-altars from as back as the 7th
millennium BCE were found in the archaeological sites of Tumba Madţari (Macedonian Cyrillic: Тумба
Маџари), Ogragje, Porodin, Velušina, Vršnik, Vrbjanska Čuka, and other prehistoric settlements located
all over the Republic of Macedonia. From the groves and hilltops she moved in this new enviroment
between the walls and immediately became the dominant essence. What is considered to be her temple
(8000 BCE) was also found in the Neolithic layers on Vrbjanska Čuka, near the city of Prilep.
Macedonia still proudly wears the prehistoric theonym name of this feminine essence that was
dominant back then, despite all the incessant attacks of countless masculine gods, demigods, and other
furfural wannabees. The primal world of Ma was pervaded by a maternal strain, the feminine theocracy
ruled unchallenged for millenniums. Typical Macedonic altars and worship-places dedicated to her are
found again and again on the territory of Macedonia, but within the timeline that precedes by a long shot
the other Neolithic votive objects that depict similar structures. These numerous House-altars of her
were found even outside of the urban settlements, like in the cave „Dren‟ near the ancient city of Stena
(today Demir Kapia), or above Stobi on the holy hill known as „Klepa‟. For comparison, the animistic
Asia Minor goddesses found in Haçilar, were dated by radiocarbon to 5500-5400 BCE. That‟s more than
1000 years after the appearance of the Goddesses of Home from Macedonia, which underlines the
incomparably more advanced development of the Neolithic cultures in Macedonian Peninsula, as well as
the first agricultural settlements, long before the Mesopotamian. The antecedent prehistoric and later
archaic goddesses (much later emerged as Kubaba/Kibela, Armaiti, Rhea, Demetrа, Isis, etc.) have
nothing in common with the modern day religions, such as the Christianity or Budism, but they are
rather based in the phylogenetic archetypes which are same in all cultures and open to different
interpretations. The displayed female figurines and statues of the primordial Great Mather Goddess in
Macedonia present her as the centre of fertility, exposing her round belly or the womb. This distant
epoch was the time of the Matrilineal worship, imagined as the time of peace and prosper. Of other
anthropomorphic deities or cults from the same Neolithic period there‟s very little or no evidence at all.

Next page: different altars of the Great Mother Goddesss of the Home from Neolithic
Macedonia, 7th-6th millennium BCE. Inside were poured libations and food offerings. Her
worship as the „Magna Mater of Pessinus‟ was first rendered at Rome as late as 204 BCE

97
98
The great leap forward that happened in Neolithic Macedonia around 8500 years ago, consisted in the
fact that the Great Mother Goddess began to be specifically related to the completely new concept of
„home/house‟, and became the goddess of the house. They were the first solid urban constructions with
specific dwelling purpose in human history, which appeared some 9000 years ago in the prehistoric
Macedonia. Thus, it is not by chance that the Macedonian root word for „home‟ is “Doma” > „do-ma‟ –
„Beside/close/next(to)-Mom/Mo(ther)‟.138 Hence Latinized Domus and Anglicized Domestic/Domicile.

Below: more altars of the Great Mother Goddess of the home, many of them incomplete
of the roof (made probably of wood or hay) and/or missing the goddess torso

138
http://www.makedonski.info/search/do , http://www.makedonski.info/search/mama – Today
double pronounciation “Ma-Ma” is the most archaic way of exclamation and worship of
someones supremacy, a sign of great admiration and magnificence – by simple way of saying it
twice. Examples: “Na-Na” (i.e. “Ba-Ba” in plain Macedonian) - „grandmother‟, “Pa-Pa” (Italian)
- the „pope‟, “Ta-Ta” (Serbocroatian) - „father‟, “Ra-Ra” (Italian) - „rare‟, “Ga-Ga” -
„overexcited‟ or „irrational‟, etc. “The immense list of such words collected by Buschmann shows
that the types pa and ta, with the similar forms ap and at, preponderate in the world as names for
„father,‟ while ma and na, am and an, preponderate as names for mother.” – sir Edward B.
Taylor “Primitive Culture”, 1873.

99
Above: another complete altar of the Great Mother Goddess of the Home from the
village of Porodin, near Bitola. 7th millennium BCE, Republic of Macedonia

100
First historical-known name of her was maybe Pelasgian Eurynome or Etruscan-Macedonic
Zirna/Zeirene, or Estia of the Hearth (Koine: Eστία; Latin: Hestia, Roman: Vesta, Macedonian:
Nevesta139, Babylonian: Ishtar, Phoenician: Astarte, Egyptian: Ast–>Isis). This PIE root word has
allegedly two meanings – „Opening‟ (of the hearth) and/or „Fireplace‟ (the hearth). She also presided
over the fire, cooking of bread, and the preparation of the family meal.
Eurynome/Zeirene/Estia/Hestia/Vesta/Ishtar/Astarte/Isis etc. was also the goddess of the sacrificial
flame and received a share of every sacrifice to the gods. She was thought to be the daughter and
firstborn child of the titans Kronos and Rhea, and in later mythology as Hestia she was transformed into
Roman Vesta Iliaca („Vesta of Troy‟) thus underlining her foreign origin in Rome. And finally she
reemerges as Medieval Vesna, goddess of the spring.
This “Estia” name of the home-fire custodian goddess is again directly related to the Macedonic root
word “Usia/Syae” - „heats/shines‟ (antonym “Ostine” - „cools out‟, literally “Osti-not” - „hot-not‟) from
the verb “Usviti” - „to glow by heat‟. From this syllable "es/is/us" we can see derivatives in “Xantus” (or
Xandos) – considered to be another manifestation of the Sun-god, of light and fire, but also of moonlight
– in Sanskrit: Canda - „moon‟140; he is also the Sun-god “Istanu” and/or “Sandas” in the Hittite
pantheon, and found in the Etruscan pantheon as “Usil”141 (or Usenya in Russia, hence Uspenie in
Christianity; or Isa in Sanskrit142). All these derivations originate from that simpliest syllabic cry
"es/is/us", which is onomatopoeic wow of the sound that produces the water when comes in contact with
fire or any hot/incandescent surface (see also the Italian cry "Ostia!").143 Vestiges of this prehistoric

Above: Xiron,Thebe, Dionis, Leto, Cariflo, Hestia and Demeter behind Iris, receiving the libation
from Peleus

139
http://www.makedonski.info/search/nevesta
140
http://sanskritdictionary.org/canda
141
http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/327217/unknown-maker-applique-depicting-the-sun-
god-usil-etruscan-500-475-bc/
142
http://sanskritdictionary.org/isa
143
http://www.etimo.it/?term=ostia&find=Cerca

101
Nature Goddess, worshipped by Neolithic and other peoples for millennia survived the Roman period
and influenced development of Christianity. While a male-dominated religious ethos supplanted goddess
religion in the West starting in the Bronze Age, goddess beliefs and practices persisted underground.
Evidence is drawn from the existence of the Great Mother Goddess (Magna Mater) symbols in the
catacombs and other early church art; basilicas art from the early East Romeian era; extant folklore and
folk traditions; magic and other quasi-religious practices evident in early Christian traditions and rituals
adopted and preserved by the people and church. They all hide within and deep inside the omnipresent
traces of the prehistoric Great Mother Goddess Mo.

102
The MACEDONIC PANTHEON evidence
The Afterlife Cult, Macedonian Olymp, Macedonian
Calendar, Macedonian Gods Monuments,
Soothsaying, etc.
The history of Macedonia is in many ways a history of misunderstandings because the Macedonian
culture is seen and perceived through the Semitic Sellenic (dubbed „Helleni) city-states and Roman
outside perspective. Due to the loss and general sparsity of direct Macedonian reports the Semitic
Danaan and Roman texts are the main literary sources. But, they also preserve their foreign cultural
perceptions and misjudgments of the authors through prism of their contrastive and rather hostile socio-

Above: numerous ancient pinecone monuments exposed infront of the museums or public
buildings in the city of Skopje, Republic of Macedonia; the pinecone was par excellence
symbol of the bull-horned Leivino Dionis (Lat. Dionysus or Bacchus), one of the most
venerated gods in Macedonia

103
political bias. The father of the history, Erodot (Lat. Herodotus), in his 6th book has the following
perplexing passage on the matter: “The Persians affirm that Perseus was an Assyrian by birth, becoming
afterwards a „Hellenic‟, although none of his ancestors were of that nation.”
Lucian also testifies about the temple of Syrian “Irakles” (Lat. Hercules) in Tyre, where he notes
that “This is not the Erakles from the legend of the (Semitic) “Greex”, but a Tyrian hero of much
greater antiquity than he.”
So, like the Perseus and Irakles, how many of the now dubbed “Greek” gods are not “Greek” at all?
Aparently all of them. Because, as we know, apart from the very term “Greek” which is Latin exonym
and absolutely nonexistent in the times when all these myths were created – the “Greek”-dubbed gods
(like Perseus, Irakles, Dionis, etc.) were not “Greek” at all.
Jane Harrison has pointed out (Prolegomena to the study of ancient religion) that Medusa was once
the goddess herself, hiding behind a prophylactic Gorgon mask: a hideous face intended to warn the
profane against trespassing on her Mysteries. According to legend Persei beheads Medusa: that is, the
Semitic invaders overran the Mother Goddess chief shrines, stripped her priestesses of their Gorgon
masks, and took possession of the sacred horses (an early representation of the goddess with a Gorgon‟s
head and a mare‟s body has been found in Boeotia, most probably just another chthonic version of the
Great Mother Goddess).

Above: modern computer-generated image of Nike and Zirna/Zeirene/Ceres

These written testimonies confirm once again the common knowledge of the ancient authors and
sources, who at that time didn‟t even have a word for this post factum Roman exonym „Graecus‟, from

104
which spawned the whole brand new pseudo-genealogical construct of the later historiographers and the
19th century romanticists. The Ancient Macedonians had their very own Macedonic names for the
ancient Aegean Gods, who according to Herodotus “were initially Pelasgian Gods”. But apparently they
were too intimate and equaly archaic, thus, their original secretive theonyms were overlapped and
supplanted by the later foreign psevdonims and new interpretations of the latest oversea settlers and
vulgar conquerors (i.e. Semitic Danaans and Latin Romans respectively). However, the Macedonians
kept their religious peculiarities to the end of their polytheistic history, and some of them survived until
today.
After the decline of Macedonian Empire foreign exonyms heavily immodested the original Aegean
urheimat, especially after the Roman invasion of the Macedonian Peninsula. The Roman Senate forbid
by decree everything they could‟ve forbid – the marriages inbetween the divided Macedonian
provincies; they forbid the very mentioning of the ancestral gods of Macedon; and forbid especially the
mentioning of the Great Mother Goddess, the most sacred all to divinities of the Macedonians, which by

Above: votive bronze and terracotta statuettes of the Macedonian war-goddess Mā or

Gygaia/Giga (dubbed “Athena Alkidemos”)

105
the way as nation for the last 3000 years bear her very name. Intention was obvious then, as it is today,
the complete assimilation and/or anihilation of the Macedonians and their/her name. The Romans,
having in mind Filip II and Alexander the Great, equally as others feared them and tried to prevent with
every possible means their reunification.
The ancient Macedonian Pantheon had no less different treatment, and was therefore intentionally
forbiden, carefully eliminated by the Romans, and meticulously misinterpreted by the ancient and
modern non-Macedonian sources. The poliscentered interpretations and distorted manner of perception
is often an obstacle to understanding of the true Macedonian beliefs and culture. The City-states ancient
authors clearly tended through open criticism to express the differences of the Macedonian culture, and
in the same way they criticized the differences of the Persian or Egyptian culture – as foreign.
Albeit, continuous emphasizing of the different cultural background between Macedonia and more
southern City-states on Peloponnesus is rather obvious. It was utterly confirmed by the sparse
archaeological evidence of monumental temples in Macedonia, on contrary to the numerous elaborate
tombs built for private individuals and filled with expensive grave goods – custom that underlines the
opposite sociopolitical factors and religious contrasts. Macedonians themselves contributed the
construction of Macedonian tombs and the impoverishment of Macedonian temples on contrary to the
Peloponnesian city-states. The Semitic Danaan cities in the south were small, largely autonomous
oriental communities, with a strong inward orientation and an equally strong sense of civic-mindedness
among their inhabitants (Athens had only 21,000 citizens and 10,000 resident foreigners in the middle
4th c. BCE)144. These polises frequently restricted the size and richness of family tombs by means of
sumptuary laws, while simultaneously emphasizing communal building projects. Macedonia, on the
other hand, was a large kingdom dominated by an aristocracy that had the wealth, desire, and freedom to
invest in familiar rather than civic monuments. Their deep-seated belief in the afterlife was very clear
distinction that set apart Macedonians and Etruscans from the newly intromitted Semitic “Greex” and
later Romans. That belief clearly served as a powerful incentive for Macedonians to invest their wealth
in tombs and grave goods rather than in temples dedicated to their pantheon.
Nevertheless, many other testimonies of Macedonian pantheon existence and its particularity
miraculously survived until today. One is the Macedonian Olymp, completely different and unrelated in
any way to the southern City-states pantheon from Olympia in Peloponnesus. Strabo clearly underlines
the Mt. Olymp as mountain in Macedonia, on which foot is situated the Macedonian holy city Dion. It is
indistinguishably named „Macedonian mountain‟ by Hesychius and Theophrastus too; so, when the
“Olypmian gods” are mentioned in some context - it must be précised to which of two pantheons is
directed this ambiguous term. To explain this incongruence is enough one example: When Alexander
the Great in 325 BCE erected monuments to the 12 gods of Olymp, according to the testimony brought
by Flavius Philostratus (in „Vita Apollonii‟) the gods and god‟s epithets were decisively not those from
the Peloponnesian Olympia pantheon:
ΠΑΣΡΗ ΑΜΩΝΗ ΚΑΗ ΖΡΑΚΛΔΗ ΑΓΔΛΦΩΗ ΚΑΗ ΑΘΖΝΑΗ ΠΡΟΝΟΗΑΗ ΚΑΗ ΓΗΗ ΟΛΗΜΠΗΩΗ
ΚΑΗ ΢ΑΜΟΘΡΑΗΞΗ ΚΑΗΒΔΗΡΟΗ΢ ΚΑI ΗΝΓΩΗ ΖΛΗΩΗ ΚΑΗ ΓΔΛΦΩΗ ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΗ...

144
“Race of mongrel” by Alfred Paul, Karl Eduard Schultz. p.86.

106
 Another firm testimony is the ancient Macedonian Calendar. The owing of a particular calendar per se
is unmistakable proof of existance of a particular pantheon as well. For example: – in the name of the
month of Audonaius (today December) we find the name of the Macedonian water and Sea-god
Avdonai/Audonaios (Koine: Poseidon, Etruscan: Atunis, Latin: Nettunus, anglicized: Neptun); – in
the name of the month Xandicus we see the theonym of the sun – Xandus (hence also „A-le-Xand-Ro‟;
the war god Skandus; and today Scandal too); – in the month of Artemisos (Koine: Απτεμίσιορ,
Etruscan: Artumes) we find the hunter-goddess Artemis; – in the month of Gorpiaeus (Koine:
Γοππιαιορ) we find the Macedonic name of mythological Goropei (Lat. Orpheus), etc. 145 Every month,
every day of the week, had its god and/or demigod, or multiple variety of different gods or demigods.
Here below is the list of the Macedonian months with alleged god‟s names:

Dion/Dios – (Moon of October/November) 1st and month of the supreme god Dion
(Dii/Dios/Dzevs/Dyaus…), and name of the homonymous Macedonian holy city of Dion.

Apellaion/Apellaios – (moon of November/December) 2nd and month of the god Apolon

(Appulinaš/Apollo/Apulu…)

Audunaion/Audunaios – (moon of December/January) 3rd and month of the god Adonaios and/or
Dionis (Adoniss/Poseidon/Netuns/Neptune…)

Perition/Peritios – (moon of January/February) 4th and month of god Perseus (?) called the “Dog-
month” by Macedonians.

Dystron/Dystros – (moon of February/March) 5th and month of the god (Dyaus/Dios) Tros (i.e.
Dyaustros/Deus-Tros, allegedly founder of the city of Ilion/Troy) also named Ilion and/or Ilus/Ilios.146

Xandikon/Xandikos – (moon of March/April) 6th and month of the sun god Xandus (Масеdonian god-
protector of the Army).

Artemision/Artemisios – (moon of April/May) 7th and month of the supreme goddess Artemidi
Pasikarata (Artemis/Diana…).

Danision/Danisios – (moon of May/June) 8th and month of the fertility Mother Goddess Zeirene
(Zirna/Ziren/Ceres…).

Panemon/Panemos – (June/July) 9th and month of the universal god Pan (Papaios, Paion…).

Loion/Loios – (moon of July/August) 10th and month of the war god Ares (Mars…).

Gorpiaion/Gorpiaios – (moon of August/September) 11th and month of the “Upper” god Orpheus
(Gorpeius).

145
https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendarium_Macedonicum
146
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tros_(mythology)#Homer's_account

107
Yperveretaion/Yperveretaios (“Uper-veretai” - „of those who exceeded their term‟)147 – (moon of
September/October) 12th and month of the god Ares (Mars…).

Yperveretaion/Yperveretaios Emvolimon/Emvolimos – 13th intercalated month once over a 19-year

cycle.

Perition/Peritios Emvolimon/Emvolimos – 13th intercalated lunar month identified in the „Financial

year‟ on 1st of August 228 BCE148

Disregarding the unresolved problems related to astrological accuracy of this ancient calendar, its very
existence per se represents an undeniable astrological and historic evidence of a distinct Macedonian
Pantheon as well. As an indispensable part of the Macedonian religion, together with the distinct
Масеdonian traditions and language, is one of the fundamental elements that for ages clearly
differentiated the culture and ethnicity of Macedonian people.
With the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, the Macedonian calendar was brought into
contact with the Babylonian Calendar and Akkadian Zodiac, which was considered better than all the
other calendars that were used for civilian purposes on the soil of ancient Macedonian Empire. The
synchronized Ancient Macedonian Calendar in the east began from the 1st (or the beginning) of
October, counted from the beginning of the Seleucid era in 312/311 BCE. On the soil of Asia Minor the
connection between the Macedonian and Babylonian months continued to persist through the use of
Macedonian months in Asia Minor cities, while in Syria and Mesopotamia selectively from the calendar
that was in use until 16-17 AD. The Seleucids and the Syro-Macedonians continued it through their rule
in eastern India, and despite the different names and erratic repositions of the months, with them brought

the benefits and teachings of the Akkadian/Babylonian astronomers and their 19-year-old leap cycle.
The Seleucid calendar in Asia Minor was used until the end of antiquity period, and in some parts of
Mesopotamia, till the end of 11th century AD.
The testimonies from Egypt, give an extensive insight into the direction of movement of the
Macedonian calendar during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The series of dates that correspond in
147
https://logeion.uchicago.edu/%E1%BD%99%CF%80%CE%B5%CF%81%CE%B2%CE%B5%
CF%81%CE%B5%CF%84%CE%B1%E1%BF%96%CE%BF%CF%82 , from "Yper/Uper" -
'Over, beyond': https://www.etymonline.com/word/hyper-?ref=etymonline_crossreference ,
today “Opre” in plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/opre ,
and latinized "Veretai" - 'verified': https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=verify , which
actually descends from "Vera" - 'belief, truth, credo' in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vera#%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B0/%D0%B6
148
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3855355?seq=1

108
the documents of both calendars, Macedonian and Egyptian, allow in many cases to make a correlation
of both calendar systems, whether or not they are works for one or both calendars. The Macedonian
empire of Ptolemies, which arose as a result of Alexander and the Macedonian conquest, although with
some changes, retained the Egyptian civilian calendar of Egypt. The Egyptian civil calendar counted 365
days in a year, which were regulated in 12 lunar months, calculated according to the monthly menu, i.e.
starting with the first new moon. The Macedonian calendar linked on the Egyptian calendar and was
interpreted as Lunisolar, with 12 lunar months, the sum of which annually was 354 days, which is 11
days less than the duration of the solar year. The year in Egypt has begun with the first day of the month
Thoth, which is the middle of the month of November, which coincided with the old Macedonian
calendar and the the month of Dion. In order for the calendar to be compatible with the seasons, every
second year (biennial intercalary), are inserted after a leap month, more precisely repeated the month of
Peritios, supplementing the days lagging behind the seasonal ones changes. The purpose was to enable
matching and linking of the Macedonian months with the lunar menu. But, because this match referred
to the monthly, and not the annual connection, maintaining the relative stability between the real flow of
the year of 365 ¼ days in the solar and the lunar year, depended primarily from the leap process. To
maintain balance, through the biennial intercalation many days were added, so the Macedonian-Egyptian
calendar with the passing of time began to deviate from the real course of natural, ie. solar year. Thus,
with the Canopus Decree by order of pharaon Ptolemy III, one leap day was added every fours, bringing
the leap year to 366 days, versus the regular ones that counted 365 days. With this reform Ptolemy III
managed to synchronize the natural, solar year and the civil calendars with the Lunar cicle.
Further, the particular or even secretive Macedonian names of the deities and their exclusive
Macedonic epithets must be mentioned here – such as Pseudanor, an epithet of the Macedonian Leivino
Dionis (witnessed only in Macedonia), then a few deities that are not witnessed by any other nations,
primarily the Military deities (Ma - Eniо/Athena in interepretatio graeca, and her male counterpart
Xandos whose solar character over time was superseded by the military); the Light-ones (Adraya,
Etheudanic); the Healing Bedy (plus Daron, Draco and Dracayna149). Also to be mentioned are the
specific customs such as military ones (lustration, not placing a trophy on the battlefield, etc.);
consecration of slaves to the god Leivino Dionis, which is not common for male deities; marking
maturity with ritual travesty, etc. With the analysis of primordial myths and legends, the layers from
different times are clearly separated not only for the Macedonian, but also for the Classical Period
deities. Namely, due to the western Hellenocentric approach, even in the studies of the Classical
religion, no distinction is made between the Achaean (pre-Hellenic) layer from the Clasical layer; and
the deities of Eastern origin, adopted through the Cretan-Mycenaean culture and domesticated in the
classical religion, are deliberately omited. But, with careful analysis it is possible to distinguish the
different mythological layers in the legends, and to determine the differences between the earlier
Macedonian pantheon and its particular religious practices from the later pantheon of the Semitic
Sellenes (dubbed “Hellenes”).
Furthermore, below is the following testimony from one of the many stone inscriptions of the
Ptolemaic Macedonian dynasty in Egypt, from which (see on the next page) are extracted these short but
most crucial phrases from the 1st, 4th, 5th, and last row. They show the undeniable Macedonic-Egyptian
culprit of the invoked gods:
“ΒΑ΢ΗΛΔΗ ΠΣΟΛΔΜΑΗΩΗ ΚΑΗ ΒΑ΢ΗΛΗ΢΢ΖΗ ΚΛΔΟΠΑΣΡΑ … ΚΑΗ Η΢ΔΗ ΚΑΗ ΓΗΟΝΗ΢ΩΗ … ΘΔΟΗ
΢ΠΑ΢Η ΤΠΔΡ ΠΣOΛΔΜΑΗΩY … ΣΟΤ Α΢ΚΛΖΠΗΑΓH΢ ΑΜΜΟΝΗΟΤ ΜΑΚΔΓΟΝΣΩ” – which reads:
“Vasilei (Emperor) Ptolemy and Vasilissiy (Empress) Kleopatra … and Isis and Dionis … Theoi

149
Posibly connected to Asia Minor Dagon:

109
Spasi Yper Ptolemies (Gods Save the Light/Splendid150 Ptolemies) … Toy (he) Asklepiades
Ammon‟s Macedonian.” – The explicit Macedonian words Vasilei, Dionis, Spasi, Toj, Makedonto151,

that are still in use even today, 2300 years after, confirm beyond any doubt the uninterrupted continuity
of the Macedonian culture and civilization. Hence, the multirole pantheon that was in use during the
reign of Ptolemies, beside the local Egyptian features, was utterly Macedonized as well.
Another astonishing and undeniable record of the mysterious but existing Macedonian Pantheon is
the one on the Mt. Nemrod (also Nemrut or Nemrud)152, in the ancient Macedonic kingdom of
Commagene(163 BCE - 72 AD) in Asia Minor. The eternal testimony written in stone was left by the
Macedonic king from the Seleucid dynasty Antiochus III the Great (242-187 BCE, son of the king
Mithridates I Callinicus and queen Laodice VII Thea of Comaggene from the Macedonian dynasty of
Seleucids). He erected an enormous sepulchral tumulus, with giant statues of gods, queens and kings,
and inscriptions on which is written as it follows: “…I pray all of the father-gods of Macedonia, Persia

150
“Yper” – „first light‟, see Hyperion - god of primordial light. A pre-Homeric deity, one of the
race of pre-Olympian Titans whose consort is, according to some texts, Thea and who is the
father of Ilios and Selen.
151
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vasil - „almighty‟, http://www.makedonski.info/search/spasi
- „save‟, http://www.makedonski.info/search/toj - „he‟, etc.
152
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nemrut

110
and our own country of Comaggene will continue to bless their children and their grandchildren…”
This very rare preserved passage, is an exceptional testimony that clearly mentions the “father-gods of
Macedonia”, and is the undeniable proof that the exclusive and proper Macedonian Pantheon existed,

apart from other ancient pantheons and despite all the historical misfortunes and political difficulties in
reconstructing its precise function and original mythological magnificence. More eloquent translation of
this inscription have been made since the discovery of this gigantic monument, and it is as follows:
“I pray that all the father gods, from Persia and Macedonia and from the native hearth of Kommagene,
may continue to be gracious to them in all clemency.”153 – So, the “gods of Persia and Macedonia” were
explicitly the “Father Gods” (Koine: „Theoi patrioi‟, Latin: „Patrii Dei‟, Biblical „Elohim‟), the ones that
were claimed to came long before the later pantheons, alike the one of the Olympian gods.154 That these
primordial gods were merely a small part of a larger group of related gods, in some contexts identified
with the gods of the immemorial past whom the Macedonians themselves called “Father Gods” (but
more likely associated with the phratry or genos), remains to be an ever opened argument.
Who were these ancestral “Father-gods” of Macedonia (and Persia and Comaggene) mentioned by
the king Antiochus I Theos and/or Antiochus III the Great, and why there are very few scarce traces of
them to be found in their homeland Macedonia? Is it possible to reconstruct the mighty Macedonian
Pantheon of Gods and Titans, whose names were even forbidden to pronounce by the mortals?
The ancient Father-gods of Macedonia were remnants of the legendary times before the written
history. By definition these ancestral deities include family and/or tribe forbears, heroes, and deified
beings associated with the very household or with origin myths of humankind. In their (secret) names it
is preserved a primordial system older than all written systems and documents, which is the
commonsource of all religious doctrines and manifestations. Initial etymological analysis reveals that
their nature operates over a time-span too great for reasonable representation and human comprehension

153
“Visual Style and Constructing Identity in the Hellenistic World: Nemrud Dagh” by M. J.
Versluys, p.104.
154
Attention! There is a clear distinction (intentionally omitted by today politically biased
conventional history) between the “Olympic gods” and “Olympian” ones, which were completely
different pantheon conceived in the western Peloponnesus. There a sanctuary of the Olympian
gods was erected, and a pantheon which has nothing to do with the one on Mt. Olymp in
Macedonia. Today misleading

111
to bear. Over the millennia they were described in rather misterious ways and had their origins in the
most primordial ideas about the movements of the elements, the variations of day and night, summer

and winter, and other natural phenomena. With time, through the modification of human ideas, they
transformed into the doings of a throng of deific beings. The primary religious ideas of the Macedonic
peoples from the Archaic and Classic era were undoubtedly much the same. They talk about powerful
gods, giants and titans, mighty beasts and incredible mythological beings, whose names were whispered
in fear and secrecy, or completely hidden and forbidden to be pronounced.
Nonetheless, we must not forget the millenniums of incredibly retarded and frightened human
thought in the past155, which unwillingly contributed to very creation of the religion as we know it today.
Even the Christian churches throughout the centuries had enforced their institutional dogmas by fear,
fire and sword. Therefore, by sheer force of ignorant fear infront of their ire, gods actually had many
names and titles. „Many-named‟ in fact appears as a divine epithet in both Vedic and Macedonic
languages. Also due to the misinterpretations like in the toponym "Thrace" (i.e. Land-tract) many local
deities, or local variants of the Macedonian deities, although not witnessed by the “Thracians”(since it is
not an ethnic qualifier but an exonym that denotes a coastal tract), such as the local god Theos Surgethes
testified in ancient Macedonian city of Philippi, has been and still is interpreted as “Thracian”. And until
we find explicit precise inscriptions of their names the only tools at our disposition which can reveal
their secret names are the guesses offered by the Comparative and Paleo-linguistics through popular
mythology.

155
This was the common pattern in all ancient religions. The Romans too held their city to be under
the protection of a deity whose name was a closely guarded secret, and Rome itself had an
alternative name that was uttered only in secret rites, in case an enemy should learn it and so
acquire power to harm the city.

112
 Right: Antioch I shakes hand to Irakles

Archaic religion toke the form of cult by further distinction between the men as subjects and gods as
objects (of worship). The PIE *deiwo- or celestial god Diy (Mkd. Dion/Dīv/Deva156, Lat. Dīvus, Skr.
Devás, etc.) – as it was seen, were originally and by etymology the celestial ones.
On contrary man was „the earthly‟, designated by a derivative of the oldest known word for earth,
*d eg om- / *dhghm-. It finds direct reflection only in today Macedonic word “Digam” - „(I) lift‟ in plain
h h

Macedonian [in its bi-syllabic „up-from-ground‟ sense composed of the particle “Di ” - „move/go‟157 and
“Gam/Gom(no)”158 - „earth/turd‟]. This is exactly the same source of words for „man, human being‟
and/or „earth‟ in various languages and forms: Brygian/Phrygian zemelos, Macedonian zemen and

156
http://www.makedonski.info/search/diven, http://www.makedonski.info/search/deva,
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zdiv
157
Macedonian “Odi” - „walks‟, “Vadi” - „pulls out‟, “Vodi” - „leads‟, “Brazdi” - „plows‟, “Brodi”
- „navigates‟, etc. http://www.makedonski.info/search/di, http://www.makedonski.info/search/odi
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-angliski/%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B8*
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8*
158
See also Italian “Gamba” - „leg‟.

113
(through -z- > -dz- > -d- phonetic mutation) dunya159 - „planet earth, the world‟; Old English dūn (hill)
and Old Irish duine (hence dune), Welsh dyn, Breton den (< *gdon-yo-); Latin homo (cf. humus „earth‟),
Oscan humuѕ160, Serbo-Croatian humka (a mound, amassed earth), Umbrian homu; old Lithuanian ţmuo,
plural ţmones; Gothic and Old English guma (but also Gnome); Old Norse gumi, Old High German
gomo (< proto-Germanic *guman-) – related to the Macedonic gumno161 - „threshing floor/ground‟ (see
image on the next page), a centered hard ground for mechanical separation of the grains of wheat from
the rest of the plant (by using horses or flail); but also gomno - „dung, manure‟ in plain Macedonian162,
as our and animal excrements are earth-like, and in one way or another, at least in the past, were
finishing directly under the earth and were returning earth again (animals are also known for
instinctively covering their excrements with dirt too); hence Macedonian gnoivo163 - „organic compost,
fertilizer‟ too, from the verb gnie164 - „rot‟ and noun gnilo165 - „rotten‟.

159
http://www.makedonski.info/search/duњa
160
http://www.makedonski.info/search/humus
161
a hard, leveled floor of beaten ground on which corn or other grain is threshed with a flail, or
mules and/or horses running in a circle.
http://www.makedonski.info/show/%D0%B3%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%BE/%D1%81
%D1%80
162
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gomno
163
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gnoivo
164
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gnie
165
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gnilo

114
 And if human beings are „terrestrials‟ (Homo Sapiens – „Earth that Knows‟) by contrast with the
celestial gods, so they are „mortals‟ by contrast with the immortal deities. Generally „mortal‟ (Lat.
mort/mors) became an ordinary word for „man‟: Old Persian martiya-, Sogdian mrtyy, Sanskrit mrta,
Macedonian marva166 (see “Mrtov” -„dead‟, from the syllable root verb “Mre” - „die‟167), Marvinci168,
etc. Similarly in Armenian, mard, though this is a loan or calque from older Phrygian/Brygian mrt.
Hence also the personal names Marvyn, Mortimer, Morticia169, Murto/Murdo170, etc. But also “Mravki”
- „ants‟ in plain Macedonian.171 Seen as the chthonic beings from the underground, the Ants, “Mravki”
in plain Macedonian (PIE *morwi-, Sanskrit Vamrah172) were observed as the tireless „undertakers‟ of
the dead things and bodies in decomposition, by carrying them from surface under the ground. Thus,
this chthonic insect was named accordingly as mravka (e.g. „mortifica‟)173 – a „deathka‟ in improvised
translation from Macedonian. Hence also the corrupted Latin/Italian word for „ant‟ - “formica” [a
metathesis transcription of Macedonic “mravka”: mrafca-morfica-formica].174 As an attribute of the
earth goddess Zeirene (Lat. Ceres) ants were even utilized in soothsaying (i.e. Myrmomancy).175

These archaic religious actions toke its form of Cult when the distinction between humans as mortal
subjects and gods as immortal objects became much more definite than in primitive ritualistic religion.
Because the division was sharper the need for a communication system through which gods and men
can interact became much more acute. Worship and especially sacrifice are precisely such
communication systems. A relatively stable symbolic structure was established through the emergence
of new classes - the priests and priestly (divine) kingship. With the emergence of religious systems the

166
https://glosbe.com/en/mk/marva
167
Today “Umre” - „died‟ in plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/umre
168
https://glosbe.com/en/mk/Marvinci
169
https://www.behindthename.com/name/morticia/submitted
170
https://www.behindthename.com/name/muiredach
171
Family Formicidae, order Hymenoptera.
172
https://www.etymonline.com/word/Formica?ref=etymonline_crossreference
173
i.e. “Mortification” Latin “mortificare” - to „kill, subdue‟; from mors/mort - „death.‟ Koine
myrmex, Old Church Macedonic mravi, Old Irish moirb, Old Norse maurr, Dutch mier…
174
Macedonian verb “oumre” - „dies‟ reflects perfectly in the Italian “omertà” and/or “morte” - „death‟
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=omerta; see also Macedonic “omorina”,
“umor”, “zamor”, “odmor”, etc. http://www.makedonski.info/search/omorina
http://www.makedonski.info/search/umor
175
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmomancy

115
cosmological monism of the earlier stage was slowly devoured by the priesthood classes, and an entirely
different realm of universal reality was proclaimed. In order to monopolize political and military power
noble families claimed their divine descent and superior religious status. While in primitive rituals the
individual was in harmony with the natural divine kosmos, now the new priestly classes demanded
salvation through sacrifice, but of others. Apart from primordial gods – a mystery cults (The mysteries
of Samothrace - Kaveiri/Kabeiri, Dionisiac mysteries, Eleusian mysteries, Orphic mysteries, etc.) also
appeared, as a distant echoes of the times when Great Mother Goddess rule was undisputed, and as
embryo of the future „heresies‟ (read „socialist‟) movements and alternative to the ruling religious
classes in later antiquity and middle ages.

The words „Mystery‟ and „Myth‟ have also been carefully studied by various scholars, their meaning is
one and clear: „Miţi‟ ('close your eyes' in plain Macedonian)176 and “Muti” (to „muddle up, stir)‟)177
respectively. Тhey describe the fantasy processes by which the initial meaning changes from one thing
to „imaginative ones‟. The very first creation myth of Eurynome and the serpent Ophion was pretty
much the same. But, it was also Pelasgic, thus Macedonic too – the (Pelasgic) plain of Pelagonia is still
there in the middle of Macedonia (see the map below), immediately northwest from Mt. Bora (i.e.
Vora). And if Pelagonia and Pella aren‟t Pelasgic, then no one knows what it is.

176
http://www.makedonski.info/search/mi%D0%B6i
177
http://www.makedonski.info/search/mati#%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8/%D0%BD%D
0%B5%D1%81%D0%B2

116
Further the story narrates that the primordial goddess coupled with Ophion (i.e. Boreas), and in the form
of a dove laid the Universal Egg. When the egg hatched, out tumbled all things that exist, her children:
sun, moon, planets, stars, the earth with its mountains and rivers, its trees, herbs, and living creatures.
Thus she created the seven planetary powers too, setting a Titaness and a Titan over the each. Theia and
Hyperion for the Sun; Phoebe and Atlas for the Moon; Dione and Crius for the planet Mars; Metis and
Coeus for the planet Mercury; Themis and Eurymedon for the planet Jupiter; Tethys and Oceanus for
Venus; Rhea and Cronus for the planet Saturn. Then, the ancestor of the Pelasgians, first man, was
Pelasgus; he sprang from the soil, followed by others, whom taught how to make huts and feed upon
acorns, and sew pig-skin tunics such as poor folk still wear. This Pelasgo-Macedonic myth survived in
literature, the largest being the Apollonius Rhodius's Agronautica and Tzetzes, but it is implicit in the
Orphic Mysteries, and can be restored from the Berossian Fragment and the Phoenician Cosmogonies
quoted by Philostrat(us) and Damasci(us). These „imaginative tales‟ are all we got left from the
immemorial times of human prehistory, when the first human thought was forged by the forces of
nature.
The Macedonic gods according to Erodot too were initially Pelasgic178 gods, and basically their
names (those known) were all monosyllabic and self-explanatory, like Mō or Ma - the Great Mother

178
The first people, descended from the mythical Pelasg (Latinized „Pelasgus‟) - the first man of the
antiquity, comparable to Adam of Christianity.

117
Goddes, Vō or Gō and/or Rod (later SwaRoGo) - the Sky-god and supreme kreator, Dze - Macedonic
supreme sun-god. From this primordial syllabary cauldron of basic votive appellations emerged the
endless mythological universum of antiquity. Countless generations have contributed this perpetual
mythological renaissance179 again and again by adding numerous tall tales and elaborate fantasies. And
no one knows how many changes were muddled by countless trancriptors between the original material
and the final tally tale.
Thus, since the Titans existed before the gods, and before any other term for “god” was invented
there was the name “Titan”, said to have denoted „king‟. Nor did the word designate a specific kind of
god but more properly the „great god(s)‟ in general, like the Latin Deus among the Romans, Dyaus Pitar
among the Barb-Aryans, and the Macedonic BoGo of the Macedonians. This is consistent with the
suggestion advanced by Paul Kretschmer; in the name “Titan” he recognizes a Pelasgian forerunner of
the later word for heavenly gods. Lets explain it.
The Etruscan name for the supreme Thunderer and Sky-father god on the Apenninic Peninsula, is
also “Tin/Tinia”, which would be the most direct cognate of the first primordial theonym “Titan”. The
Etruscans were originally from the Aegean basin urheimat, where we find also the Hittite cognate-god
“Tarun” the Thunderer. It appears then that in “Tarun/Titan/Tinia” we have the original Hittite-Pelasgo-
Macedonic theonym which comprehended the pre-Olympian gods and by which they were invoked. The
simple exam of the (Macedonic) etymology of these apparently similar words shows that they are
actually related to the onomatopoeic Macedonian verb “Tatni ” - „thunders‟180, and are plain metathesis
of the same: “Tatni <=> Titan” (hence also the Latin „Tuono/Tuonare‟181 and anglicized „Thunder‟).
This Pelasgo-Macedonic theonym is confirmed from anoother side too, from the east, where the
Titans ('kings') and Titanesses had their counterparts in early Mesopotamian astrology. If the Macedonic
Titans were originally six sons and six daughters of Earth and Sky (Gaia and Uranus) in Mesopotamia
version they were deities ruling the seven days of the sacred planetary week (of 7 celestial bodies that
human eye can see without telecope); and they may have been adopted (or introduced) 182 by the Hittites,
who settled the Aegean at the Isthmus of Corinth early in the 2nd millennium BCE. In Mesopotamian
myth the planetary rulers of the week, namely the Titans Šamaš, Šin, Nergal, Bel, Beltis, and Ninib, were
all male, except Beltis, the Love-goddess. But in the Tungrian week, which the Tungrians (Lat.
Germans) and Gauls had borrowed from the Eastern Mediterranean the Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday
were ruled by Titanesses, as opposed to Titans.

179
“Re-born”, from Latin “Re-nascentia” – „re-birth‟.
180
http://www.makedonski.info/search/tatni
181
http://www.etimo.it/?term=tuonare&find=Cerca
182
There‟s no sufficient evidence to support either of the theories, of what is known is that Hittites
came from north too, same as the Zodiac.

118
Left: sun/moon rays falling on the sacred bull

Classical astrologers conformed with the Pelasgo-Macedonian-Mesopotamian Titans, and awarded the
planets and sun to Ilion/Ilios (Latinized „Helios‟ i.e. Sol Invictus), Selene (Latinized „Helen‟ hence
„Luna‟, Mkd. Mena - abbreviated from „Mesečina‟183), Ares (Latinized „Mars‟), Apollon, Dzevs
(Latinized „Jupiter‟), Aphrodite (Latinized „Venera‟ i.e. „Venus‟), and Cronus (Latinized „Saturn‟).
Therefore the Latin-transliterated equivalents: Sol Invictus (i.e. „Sun), Luna (i.e. Moon), Mars, Mercury,
Jupiter, Venus and Saturn still name the French, Italian, and Spanish week days: Sun-day (i.e.
Ilios/Helios), Lunedi (Moon-day or Monday), Martedi (Mars or Tuesday), Mercoledi (Mercury or
Wednesday), Jiovedi (Jupiter or Thursday), Venerdi (Venera/Venus or Friday), and Saturday (or
Saturn). And once again the circle closes with these same deities that were those same seven planetary
powers from the Pelasgic creation myth of Eurynome, and of her setting seven Titaness and a Titan over
each planet/day of the week, thus the Seven Cabeiri (Kabeiri) of Samothrace, and seven great gods
celebrated by the Hittites, Mesopotamians, and many others. With the reminder that the Pelasgic Myth
of Creation is the oldest one known until now. This brings us back to the very Macedonic theonym
“Titans”, which were the great gods before the gods in archaic times.

183
http://www.makedonski.info/search/mesec

119
Futher, the very term that denotes /god/ in Macedonian is simple and syllabic too: “Bogo”184 is
comprised of two syllables Bō - „soul‟ in archaic Macedonian185, and Gō - „golem‟, i.e. the „great‟
and/or „goren‟ („upper, high‟ in plain Macedonian).186 Thus “Bo-Go” means the „Soul-Great‟ i.e. „the

184
Prehistoric universal “Boggo”; „Baga‟ in old Persian and Avestan, Mesopotamian: Baal, Sanskrit:
„Bhaga‟ - “Lord” and is epithet both of mortals and gods; hence Roman „Bacchus‟, Chinese „Bagua‟,
but also vernacular „Bogat‟ - “rich” in plain Macedonian.
185
Noted as „Ba‟ - a word for „soul‟ in ancient Egyptian too; the mythological and religious texts
contain indications that the Egyptians believed in what may be described as a "World-Soul,"
which they called „Ba‟. It‟s symbol was a bearded man-headed hawk, and it was identified with
more than one god.
186
The ancient syllable „Gō‟ that stands for the Macedonian adjective „golem‟ (i.e. „great‟) further
derived into modern Macedonic „Gospod‟ – „lord/god‟ in plain Macedonian, and utterly in the
anglicized „God‟. Hence also the word for „cattle‟ both in Macedonian: “Goveda” and as „cattle-
herd‟ in Sanskrit; “Govinda/Gopala” https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/5435/govinda are
both related to plain Macedonian “Golem” - „big, huge, large‟
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BC*

120
Great-Soul‟ in English, and in the ancient Macedonian and other archaic scripts it was the universal
symbol of “God” represented by a syllable in a form of three vertical lines - III. In Egypt the very same
“Hieroglyphic” symbol (III), according to the decipherement and explanation of the politicaly
conventional scholars, laconically reads: “replacement for signs perceived to be dangerous to be
actually written”, i.e. the “Bogo” substitute for the forbiden secret names of the god(s).187 Another
example is the ancient Chinese symbol for „Heaven‟ (Qian/Tian), one of the famous “Bagua” („Godly,
divine‟) trigrams, which is exactly the same, only horizontal.

As already mentioned at the beginning – these primordial signs, like the Chinese ideogram “Shān”[山]-
„mountain‟, the Hebrew ‫'( ש‬Shin'), and the Macedonian Glagolic/Cyrillic letter “Ш” (voiced as „Sha‟ in
the Glagolitic alphabet) as simplified (onomatopoeic) ideograms of the trees/forest (thus also the
Chinese “Shù Mù” - „trees‟, and the „holy mother‟ prehistoric theonym “Shu-Nun”), which represent the
first known notion of “Spirit”, were altogether erased and forbidden by the Christian church institutions
and Eurocentric policies. They removed systematically all the traces and even the unique letter for “Sh”
sound from their scripts. It was totally rejected to prevent any record or symbolic mentioning of the
ancient spirits and supreme gods. It really remains puzzling the fact that they even left the words like
“Sham”, “Shine”, “Shoe” and “Shoo” in English…

; also “Godan” was noted as the Longobardic main deity.

187
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptian_hieroglyphs unicode: U+133E6.

121
 Left: another example of “III” from the river Indus valley

One of the rare stone reliefs of this prehistoric divine-heavenly symbol was found carved on the
Neolithic sanctuary on Markovi Kuli (Mark‟s Towers) in Republic of Macedonia. There is no other
plausible explanation for this inscription, nor any practical function whatsoever for this arcane relief
artifact, other than the divine three-lines symbol of god. The precise date wasn‟t determined with
precision, but from the surrounding Neolithic settlement and the artifacts found in the close vicinity can

be presumed that this ideogramic inscription (the picture above) could easily be dated as much as 8000
or more years ago. The most obvious example of its voicing and archaic votive meaning is preserved in
yet another Macedonic language, namely the Russian, where the word for „thanks‟ is „Spasibo‟, an
archaic term comprised of one word and one syllable: “Spasi” – „save (us)‟ and “Bo” – „soul‟ i.e. the

122
syllable meant for the (soul of) god - Bo(Gō). Much later his name changed again, and as „Rod‟ („kin‟ in
plain Macedonian) and/or „Svarogo‟ [abrev. from “Svag-Roda-Gospod” - „(Of)All-kin-lord/god‟ in
plain Macedonian] was still the supreme “Prabog” (i.e. „Pre-deity‟ in plain Macedonian) long after the
appearance of Christianity. Thus, Macedonian “Bogo/Boje/Boţe” (Sanskrit 'Bhaja'188 Avestan 'Baga',
Chinese 'Bagua', Mesopotamian „Baal‟, Persian 'Bhaga' - god, lord, etc.) remained the common
nomination for „God‟ throughout countless millennia.189 But also the “Nebo” – „Sky‟ in plain
Macedonian, i.e. “Na-Bo” – „Of-God‟ (as the Sky was the Supreme Sun-God‟s realm par excellence),
same as in Sanskrit: nabha - „na-bha(ga)‟190; Latin: nebia.
These syllabic interpretations are fully paragonable to the name of the Egyptian supreme deity,
Amon. The explanation of the nature of Amon coincides with the testimony of Diodorus, who professes
to borrow his accounts from the Egyptian writers; that is, from Egyptians of the Ptolemaic age, who
were learned to read and write in Old and New Macedonian (Koine) script. He informs us, that the
Egyptian philosophers reckoned five elements, adding to the four commonly enumerated, of which one
they termed “Ba” or „spirit‟.191 This is the same as the celestial ether or „soul‟ described as “Bo” by the
Macedonians, which was supposed to fill the highest regions of the heavens (venerated also as the
supreme Sky-father god, known as the primordial Aion/Cronos/Deiwos/Saturn//Swarog/Rod… - the
creator of everything in all prehistoric and ancient religions). Hence a quickening or enlivening
influence of this spirit was supposed by the Egyptians to be derived into all animated creatures. This
vital ether, or principle of life, according to Diodorus was also called Ammon-Dzevs. Iamblichus gives a
similar interpretation of the name of this god.

188
http://sanskritdictionary.org/bhaja
189
The name of the city of “Baghdad” derived from the Middle Persian Baga-dat, "Lord-given";
“Bogdan” - „god-given in plain Macedonian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogdan; see the village
of Bogdanci in R. of Macedonia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogdanci. This is in reality the
very first “word” that everyone of us pronounces at the earliest age of our lifes – all the babies in
the world start their “language” with blubbering „ba, bæ buh, bo…‟ – No wonder that it was
taken as the syllable name thatdenotes “Soul” and/or “God” – who else could‟ve make us to talk
if not our father god himself by abling us to call him.
190
http://sanskritdictionary.org/nabhah Sanskrit: “bhagavan” - god, Hindi: bhagwān; from the root
bhaj - „(to) adore‟, “Oboţava” in today plain Macedonian:
191
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_concept_of_the_soul#b%EA%9C%A3_(person
ality)

123
 Above: the human soul - Ba, seen as a bird, hovering over his newly mummified master

Below: the sun god Ba-Neb-Tatau – the “Soul-(of) Heavenly-Father” (in plain Macedonian: “Bog-
Nebo-Tato” - „God-Sky-father‟)192 in his divine Ram appearance

192
http://www.makedonski.info/search/ba, http://www.makedonski.info/search/nebo,
http://www.makedonski.info/search/tato

124
 The Father Gods of MACEDON –
Celestial gods, War gods, Fertility gods, Female
gods, Health gods, Chthonic gods, Water gods,
Demigods, Daimons, Muses, etc.

The ancient Macedonians, like all other peoples, had their own religious peculiarities that made up their
specific Macedonic identity so different and recognisible. Beside the prehistoric Great Mother Goddess,
they ostensibly preserved more than any other tribe the old primordial religious affinities and beliefs.
One of this stubbornly preserved features was the Indo-European triple-nature of the ruler: as a holder of
Supreme Power i.e. king/monarch; the absolute royal authority in the case of war as a supreme
commander; and as a health & progress leader, i.e. Henotheistic holy king and/or high priest in the same
time. This is perceived from the inevitable honors paid by the Macedonian kings to the three deities –
supreme god Dion/Dzevs, the war god Arot193/Iracles (interchangeable with "Ares" and/or war goddess
"Athena" i.e. Ma Aniketa, the „invincible Ma‟)194, and Asclepius/Darron, whose priests were
eponymous in Macedonian cities. Then there is Macedon, a legendary theonym and mythical god from
whom all Macedonians were ostensibly descended. It was widely believed for him to be the son of
Dion/Dzevs and Aithia/Aithria. Another cult that begun at a very early period and for thousands of
years was extraordinarily popular in Macedonia was the bull-horned god of wine and fertility Leivino
Dionis. According to the 2nd century AD Macedonian author Polyaenus, Argaeus, one the first kings of
Macedonians, fouled to retreat a numerically superior enemy force by having women wearing wreaths
and carrying thyrsi (both of which closely related symbols of Leivino Dionis) to pose as men armed
with spears (Polyaenus „Stratagems‟ 4.1). To commemorate the success of this tricky victory, Argaeus
erected a Temple to Dionis Pseudanor („False Man‟). However one assesses the veracity of this story,
it shows that Macedonians in Polyaenus‟ time believed that they had long worshipped Leivino Dionis.
The single most famous piece of ancient literature with a Dionysiac theme, Euripides‟ Bacchae, was
written and performed for the first time in Macedonia in the late 5th century. Among the most
spectacular objects excavated in Macedonia in the past century is a large, 4th-century gilded-bronze
vessel for mixing wine called the Derveni krater, which is covered in embossed panels that depict
episodes from Dionysiac myth. The unprecedented worship of Leivino Dionis‟ cult in part derived from
the fact that he served as the tutelary deity for boys passage through maturity ritual, and because of his
hermaphroditic sexuality which coincided with that of young males. Another, more important, reason for
the enthusiasm with which the Macedonians worshipped Leivino Dionis was the close link between his
cult and Macedonian belief in the Afterlife. Alongside public sacrifices to Leivino Dionis, itinerant
devotees of the god conducted private rituals (teletai) that introduced participants to secret practices and
knowledge and thus initiated them into what modern scholars call the „Dionysiac Mysteries‟. The exact
nature of these rites is largely unknown, but it is clear that an ecstatic union with the god (mania) was an
essential component. Initiates gathered together in private associations (thiasoi), each of which was an

193
Also anglicized as „Arrogance“ and today „Aro“ - 'old/dire man' in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/aro#%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE/%D1%81%D1%80
194
Also Ma nikephoros, Thea nikephoros, and rarely epekoos.

125
independent, local organization with its own priests and officials. One of the primary functions of
„thiasoi‟ was to ensure proper passage on the other side for their members. In line with the Afterlife
beliefs of Macedonians was also their special reverence for Persephone/Proserpina and Ade (Hades).
The wall paintings on the interior from one of the Macedonic tombs in Pella show her rape by Ade,
which was another prehistoric myth around which the chthonic Eleusinian mysteries were built. And off
course, there was a substantial amount of cross-fertilization over the course of time between the
Eleusinian and Dionysiac mysteries, which both show features of rituals and beliefs that are also taken
from a body of mystic literature associated with the mythical singer and deified poet Orpheus, whose
birthplace and grave were ostensibly located in Macedonia (Pausanias 9.30.7).
From the foreign deities most frequent in Macedonia are the Oriental ones, due to the millennial ties
of Macedonia with the eastern peoples and their mutual influences. Twin gods of nature
Adrastea/Astarte and Appuliunaš from the Hittite and Mesopotamian tablets are what was known later
as “Artemis” and “Apollon”. Mesopotamian Tamuz or Sumerian Dumuzi became “Adonis” (i.e.
“Poseidon”). Also Irakles (Lat. Hercules) for Macedonians Aroto was one of the father gods and god of
war, while for Semitic Sellenes (dubbed „Hellenes‟) he was just a mortal hero. And all these gods are far
much older than the later pantheon influenced by the Semitic Sellenes (dubbed „Hellenes‟), so the
Sellenic/Hellenic and Roman cults are less present. Transliterated also as the “Titans”, the old
Macedonian gods were the „previous generation‟ and family of gods whom the later Semitic
“Olympians” had to overthrow and banish from the „upper world‟, in order to become the ruling
class/pantheon. This is especially obvious through the violent substitution, already mentioned above, of
the primordial mother goddesses from the much older religion with the male ones. Another particular of
these antescendent gods was the preserved story of how they apparently “whitened their faces with
gypsum” – this is obvious the plain vulgar explanation of the darker-tanned Semitic Sellenes (dubbed
“Hellenes”) in front of the pale-skin Macedonic Pelasgians (i.e. „Belasgi(ans)‟ - “Whities” in plain
Macedonian).195
The gods of Macedon, according to their divine credentials and so far deduced names, titles or
epithets, and according to prof. Nade Proeva, are roughly divided in: Celestial ones, War gods, Fertility
gods, Female gods, Health gods, Chthonic gods, Water gods, Demigods, Daimons/Daemons, Muses, etc.
Here on the next page is the graphic table of gods divided in groups according to their basic attributes
and domains:

195
http://www.makedonski.info/search/beluzlav and/or http://www.makedonski.in/search/beloglav .
See also for comparison the famous Beluga (whale) and Beluga Sturgeon:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beluga_(sturgeon)#Etymology

126
 Chthonic gods
Celestial gods War gods Fertility gods Female gods Health gods Water gods
& beliefs
Dion Gigaia/Giga Bakhos/Dyalos Ma the Great Darron Deos Adonaios
(ZevsOuranios) (Athena) (Leivino Dionis) Mother Hypogaios (Poseidon)
Goddess
Adraia/Aithria Ma/Enio Pan Bedy/Vedy Nymphs
(Athena/Bellona) Artemida Audonos
Ade (Ouranus) Kabiri/Kabeiroi Dea (Hades)
Arot (Arotos) Pasikrata Dracon & River gods
Ilion (Helios) (Lat. Hercules) Hermes Dracaina Axius or
Gaia Totoes/Tutu Bardarius
Apollon Kandaon/Xandos (Chimera)
Oteudanos /Thaulos Asclepios Haliacmon
Demeter/Isis
Peneus
Cherun
Bendida Sangarius
Hygieia
Kotida Strumon
Persephone/
Proserpina Volganos
Enodia
(Ecate/Hecate)
Serapis Thalassa
Zeirene
(Afrodite,
Urania,Venus) Selene
Drasteia/
Adrasteia Afterlife cult
(Lat. Nemesis,
Praxidica)
Orphism

Military
Titans Demigods Daimones Muses Cults Rituals
Traditions
Briarey/Aegai Orpheus Agathos daimon Maenads Heros cult Lustration Baptising
Cronus Linos Vika (Sphinx) Pierides Sun cult Xanthika Fertility
Crius Thamyris Gryphon Pipleai Water cult Maturity
Kot Nike Thourides Dreams Weding
cult
Gig
Snake cult

Archaic
Funerary
cult

127
These old Pelasgo-Macedonic and Father gods of Macedonia should actually be called Mother Gods of
Macedonia. This is because of the very theonym “Macedonia”, and the obvious numeral preponderance
of the goddeses over male gods, which confirms the extremely archaic character of Macedonian gods.
On the following few pages for the most important among them, those who presided the Macedonian
pantheon, it must be dedicated some credit and special commendation. Thus, the supreme most
important Mother Gods of Macedonia comprised:
● Mō, Ma or Go-le-Ma (i.e. “Go-le-Ma” - „Great le196 Mother‟), found also as „Ha-la-Ma‟ (in an
unpublished Old Babylonian list from Nipur), the most venerated among Macedonian deities, as already

mentioned above; she was par excellence oldest supreme deity of the ancient Macedonians, sun-goddess
and fertility mistress, goddess of the life and death, peace and war, of which we find testimonies long
before the later “classical” pantheons emerged from the archaic oblivion.

● Dion (Dii/Dios/Diaolo/Diavolo197/Dyaus/Dzevs/Dze, Amon Dzevs) the Macedonian supreme all-

seeing Sky-fater, praised as Vō, the universal creator and Celestial Bull (accordingly “Vol” in plain
Macedonian)198, who sees everything thus Dze (Zien/Sehen/See…), epitheted “ζξίακβν(ο)199 i.e.
ThriamVo(s) - "Triple-Vō"200, but also Gō (Golem); comparable to other primordial celestial gods
(Papaios/Uranus/Saturn, Amon-Ra, Marduk, etc.). Also the Macedonian name of October, the first
month in the Macedonian calendar.
● Adonai (Koine: “Αδωλαην”, Asyrian: Adonis, Mesopotamian Tamuz/Dumuzi, from
the Akkadian form Tammuzi, based on early Sumerian Damu-zid - the „Flawless Young‟, syncretized
also as Etruscan Atunis, Latin Nettunus, anglicized „Neptune‟) i.e. “Poseidon” (Koine: Πνζεηδνλ),
Macedonian: “Pseudanor”, the chthonic god and name for the Macedonian month of December.

196
Votive particle: http://www.makedonski.info/search/le
197
Anglicized “Devil”, German “Teufel”, etc.
198
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vol - “Vol ” - „ox, bull‟ it‟s semantic paralel to Koine βνπο
and to V/B switch with the PIE *bhu- with onomatopoeic meaning, as the characteristic deep vocal
sound of a bull. But also related to the verb “Bue” - „budding‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/bue , hence “Bik” too.
199
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=el&tl=en&text=%CE%B8%CF%81
%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B2%CE%BF%CF%82
200
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=triumph – Important Note: the Koine “β” is NOT the
same to Latin “B”, but to “V”! Listen the above Google Translate translation.

128
● Apollon (Koine: “Απνιινn”, Hittite: Appaliunaš, Etruscan: Apulu, Asyrian: Adonis, Gaulic:
Atepomarus, Latin: Phoebus, Christian: Archangel Michael201); also Macedonian name for Apellaios,
the month of November. God of the spiritual energy, the „cold light‟ i.e. the Morning light before the
sunrise. As effeminate or hermaphrodite deity, like Leivino Dionis he embodies the transition between
adolescence and manhood.
● Aroto (Koine: “Αξωην”) according to Hesychius the old deified hero; syncretized as “Irakles”202, in
Koine: Ηπακληρ, Latin: Hercules, etc.
● Ilion/Ilios (Theos horikos) – the sun-god par excellence, one of the oldest and most venerated
Macedonian deities. Confirmed as Theos horikos („Burning god‟) - the guarantor of the treaty between
Macedonia and Halkidiki city-states.
● Leivino Dionis, the wine god which is one of the most famous avatars of the manyfold nameless
prehistoric Horned God; also syncretized and/or intertwined with Atys/Attis, Tamuz/Adonis/Adonaios,
Orpheus, Phoebus/Apolon, Dze, Osiris/Serapis, etc. The god of Ibreez, named Sandan, with the grapes
and corn in his hands may be taken as one of his appearances, which is again identical with bull-horned
Leivino Dionis and the Baal/Vol/Bull of Tarsus who bears the same emblems. But what was his real
name then? Well, it appears that Hittites called him Sandan, in Macedonia is still in use as personal
name “Sande”, and the later ancient mythologies apparently syncretized him as Irakles (Lat. Hercules)
too.
● Draco and Dracayna the chthonic Snake-god/goddess and custodian of the Life-energy;
● Pan – universal fertility god of shepherds and flocks, woods and fields, with upper body of a man
and horns and lower part like a goat.
● Gorpei (Lat. Orpheus) mythical Macedonian singer and deified poet.
● Maenads and Muses, various river gods, satyrs, silens, the nymphs, etc.
But, lets start from the beginning and return to the oldest known myth of creation, the one of the
Pelasgo-Macedonians. It equally confirms the Macedonian Peninsula and wider Aegean region as the
homeland of pre-Olympian gods: “In the beginning, Eurynome, the Mother Goddess of All Things, rose
naked from Chaos, but found nothing substantial for her feet to rest upon, and therefore divided the sea
from the sky, dancing lonely upon its waves. She danced towards the south, and the wind set in motion
behind her seemed something new and apart with which to begin a work of creation. Wheeling about,
she caught hold of this North wind, rubbed it between her hands, and behold the great serpent Ophion.
Eurynome danced to warm herself, wildly and more wildly, until Ophion, grown lustful, coiled about
those divine limbs and was moved to couple with her. Now, the North Wind, who is also called Boreas,
fertilizes; which is why mares often turn their hind-quarters to the wind and breed foals without aid of a

201
From “Mi-ka-El” - „(He who)Is-like-El‟:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quT6qqp6uZI
202
This is yet another Macedonian epithet “E-raklest” – „Is-handleable/strong-handed‟, denoting his
very strong arms; from “Race”[pronounced ratse] - „hands‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/race

129
stallion. So Eurynome was likewise got with child.”203 – First of all, as expected in this most archaic
religious system there were, as yet, neither gods nor priests, but only the universal Mother Goddess.
Fatherhood was not honoured, conception was attributed to the wind, the eating of legumes, or the
accidental swallowing of an insect. Inheritance was matrilineal and snakes were regarded as
underground incarnations of the dead, and in the same time the intervening vehicle of fertility, as the
earth-born Pelasgians, whose claim seems to have been that they sprang from the demiurge serpent
Ophion's teeth. And again, if all this was not enough – an exact fertility ritual involving snakes is still
observable even in the 21st century Macedonia. (See below on p. 100)
Now, apart from the fairytale there‟s a topographic detail that gives the precise location of where
this creation act may have occurred. That‟s the north wind Boreas, which blows down through Thermaic
and Strumaic gulfs into the Aegean Sea. And because the wind is not a very substantial thing to grasp
on, there is accordingly the nearby Mount Bora from where this prodigious and fertilizing wind comes.
Actually, the location, as probably was originally given by the ancient authors, and which, as expected,
wasn‟t a wind at all, is a solid mountain from where the wind comes and its name originates. So, after
all, the actual Hyperborea place from where this quite regular and local wind blows is not so “far, far
north” as the countless storytellers embroidered, but right here in Macedonia. This theonym of the
central Macedonian Peninsula is Pelasgo-Macedonic. However, the “Bora” or “Borea”, meaning “North

Above: Mt. Bora in Almopia (originaly “Vora”; today Mt. Nidže), a mountain in the middle
between Lower Macedonia and Upper Macedonia. North from there was actually the
Hyperborea, which is in Upper Macedonia, today Republic of Macedonia. The rest is
romanticized Eurocentric fairytale
Wind/Country”, and “Boreadi” meaning “northerners” is totally misleading. In mythology, the
“Boreadi” were actually “Voreadi” children of Vorei (Voreas not “Boreas”)204, who was the god of the

203
Homer's myth is a version of the Pelasgian creation story, since Tethys reigned over the sea like
Eurynome, and Oceanus girdled the Universe like Ophion.
204
Related to Macedonic verb “Vrie” - „boils‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/vrie; hence the
Latin-anglicized “Vortex, whirl” - a mass of whirling wind or air, and also “Vril ”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vril_(disambiguation)

130
north wind, the strongest of all the winds. Accordingly, this long ago forbiden Macedonic toponym
latinized as “Bora”, is still called 'Mount Voras' in Koine “Greek”: Όπορ Βόπαρ (hence Latin-corrupted
Boras); today known as Mt. Nidţe (the modern Macedonian name, Cyrillic: Ниџе).205 The original
Macedonic name discovers his real syllabic epithet-name – “Vo-Orei” - 'Almighty (of the) Mountain',
from the supreme god "Vo"206, and "Oroas/Oreas" - 'Gora' (Mountain) in today plain Macedonian.207
Further, there was the Supreme Sky-father god Vō, the Sun-god Dze (hence today “Sondze” – „Sun‟
in plain Macedonian)208, the Moon goddess Zee, etc. And these were their most primordial syllabic
names, all the rest are only transliterated and later remastered epithets and descriptive or onomatopoeic
appellations developed in different regions of the Aegean urheimat. No one today can fully understand
their true origins and how intricate and labyrinthodontical the mythical world of gods was. It is because
of the infinite possibilities of different namings and free interpretations. For example, at a very early
period there was an exceedingly ramified differentiation between the Day-sky god and the Night-sky
god (or goddess as it might be), and such incongruencies were at least 10 times more numerous than the
sole name of the gods. “There are,” says Hesiod, “30,000 gods on the fruitful earth.” And many of them
even had 3-4 heads.

But, lets stick for a wile with the supreme ones, thus begin from top to below and one by one …

205
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voras_Mountains
206
Epideictic votive syllable.
207
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gora
208
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sonce

131
Mō (or Ma)209 – the universal Macedonian Great Mother Goddess of earth, fertility and motherhood,
spring waters, mountain tops, forests and animals, and the very theonym of country of Macedonia. At
the same time she was a Sun and warrior goddess, depicted with a shield, sacred double-axe, spear, and
wearing a helmet and aureole of sun rays. She was worshiped as long ago as from the Neolithic times.
Formerly known as „Ematia‟ from “E-Ma(t)-Ia” [archaic]210 - the “Motherland” in plain Macedonian,

Above: bronze plate with the image of the goddess Mō or Ma (12x7x0,5-0,7 cm, before and
after the restauration) acompained by two dogs and above her head are two horse heads;
found in the village of Pretor on the Lake Prespa, R. of Macedonia211

thus Macedonia/Makdonia or Ma-gdonia (i.e. Mom-land) is her homeland. A ligature combination of

the syllable “Mō” - ʃ is the basis for the bisyllabic apokriphal sign that denotes the Great Mother
Goddess – . According to the decodification of Boševski-Tentov (2005) this ligature reads “Mo-Ma”
- „Maid‟ in today plain Macedonian212. The Great Mother Goddess is a paramount chthonic or earth
deity too, and universal fertility and solar goddess, flanked by dogs, horses, and other animals; also
syncretized with „Enyo‟, „Eurynome‟, equally interpreted as the Hittite-Phrygian „Kubaba/Kibela i.e.
„Cybele/Semele/Zemla‟ (earth-mother or lover of Attis/Adonis/Dionis etc.); and/or „Artemis/Diana‟,
then epitheted “Aphrodite” („Foam-child‟), further transliterated in Koine as “Εεηξελε” - „Zeirēnē‟ as

209
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_(goddess)
210
“Is-Mat-Ia” – „It‟s-Mother-Land‟ in plain Macedonian, from “Matь” - „mother‟ and/or “Matka” -
„Uterus‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/matka
211
“The Cappadocian goddess Mâ and her worship in Macedonia after a bronze plaque of the Pretor,
at the Museum of Resen”, Ţiva Antika 33/2,1983, pp. 165-183.
212
http://www.makedonski.info/search/moma

132
mentioned by Hesychius, Etruscan: Zeren, Latin: Ceres; but also syncretized as
“Hestia/Vesta/Nevesta”213, “Hera”, “Rhea”, “Demeter”, and/or Latin “Belona”, “Venus” or “Diana”,
but also Hittite “Ariniti/Arina”214, Syrian “Atargatis” and/or “Hera-Atargatis” which often carries a
cornucopia linking her with the goddess „Tyche‟ (Roman „Fortune‟) and may commonly be flanked by
lions, thus linking her back with Kubaba/Kibela/Cybele/Semele too; Egyptian “Neith” and/or “Anithia”
(hence “Athene” and “Eirēnē ” too).215 Among the Hittites one of the two first-rank deities was a
goddess, officially the Sun-Goddess but also called in current literature the Mother Goddess (Macqueen,
1975:119-120; Guterbock, 1965:87-90). Mō (or Ma, anglicized „Mom‟) has been identified with a
number of other female deities, indicating her numerous functions. She has been also named Golema
(i.e. Go-le-Ma), syncretized with the Cybele and Bellona, and transformed into the goddess
Enyo and Athena Nicephorus. Plutarch likened her with Semele/Zemla and/or Athena, Erodot to
Skythian Argimpasa. As the primordial footprint for myriad of goddesses she ramified into a throng of
different goddesses throughout the historic times. Comparable to Aithyia, or Cabiro/Axiero (one of „the
great gods‟ i.e. Cabeiri/Kabiri)216; Phrygian Ama/Amaia, comparable to Mesopotamian217
Astarte/Ishtar; Egyptian Ma‟at or Hathor; later on she was transformed and transliterated from Hittite-
Macedonic Kubaba, into Phrygian Kibela and Latin-Roman Cybele/Cybebe; she was Pelasgian Damate

Above: 6500 BCE ceramic piece with drawing/symbol of the Great Mother Goddess. From the
Neolithic archaeological site „Ogragje‟ near the village of Orman, R. of Macedonia

213
http://www.makedonski.info/search/nevesta
214
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arinnitti
215
The close resemblance of all this theonyms show their obvious syncretism.
216
The first mentions of the Cabiri/Kabiri is in the Aeschylus piece “Kabeiroi”, of which are
preserved only fragments. Erodot also confirms that the people od Samothrace were adept to
veneration of the Great Gods of Pelasgians.
217
“Mesopotamia” i.e. „Meso-potamos‟ - „between (the) rivers‟; in today Macedonian “Megyu” -
„between, in-the-middle‟, and “potok” - „stream, river‟ in plain Macedonian.

133
 and/or I-da-ma-te218, Hestia of the Hearth, and finally Aphrodite/Artemis/Diana, Demetra (i.e. Dea-
mater)219, Rhea (metathesied in Hera); she is also the Skythian Argimpasa, Etruscan Uni, thus Roman
Juno; and much later the Medieval Kupalo, Mokosh, etc. She was the supreme mistress of life and
death, earth and moon, as her names and epithets indicate both, a grantor of power and victory in battle,
the supreme cosmic goddess of this world and the protectress of the dead in the other world. Before her
existed nothing, she was considered immortal, changeless, and omnipotent; and the concept of
fatherhood had yet to be introduced when she ruled unchalenged. Primitive men feared, adored, and

obeyed the matriarch; the hearth which she tended in a cave or hut being their earliest social centre, and
motherhood their prime mystery. Accordingly, in antiquity the first victim of public sacrifice was
always offered to Hestia (one of her avatars) of the Hearth. Not only the earth and moon, but the sun (to
judge from her Hittite and Macedonian forms and avatars Hemera and Grairme of Ireland), were the
goddess‟s celestial symbols. The moon's three phases of new, full and old, recalled the matriarch's three
phases of maiden, nymph (nubile woman) and crone – “Moma”, “Mama” and “Zima” respectively in
plain Macedonian. Then she became identified with seasonal changes in animal and plant life; and thus
with Mother Earth who, at the beginning of the vegetative year, produces only leaves and buds, then
flowers and fruits, and at last ceases to bear. Thus, in line with her seasons she became a triad of
goddesses. These mystical analogues fostered the sacredness of the number three, and the Moon-

218
Damater and I-da-ma-te, or “Ida e mater” - „the Idaean Mother‟
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ida
219
As Persian goddess Astarte she was represented sitting on a lion, her head surrounded with sun
rays and in one hand a thunderbolt, in the other a sceptre. She was also Kibela (Lat. Cybele), the
universal mother goddess borrowed from the Hittites/Phrygians, seated on a throne with two lions
beside her feet; and as the great nature goddess had many attributes and was worshipped at Rome
as a sacred black stone which was solemnly brought from Phrygia in 204 BCE. It was the first
Oriental Religion adopted by the Romans and she received the name of “Mater Magna” (the Great
Mother), and remains of a temple built for her on the Palatine Hill still exist; in Thebes the Great
Goddes was named Demeter Cabiria (Dea Mater Kabira, Kabirian Demetra); also called by
Etruscans Uni (by Romans „Juno‟) and by others Venus, or also known as the Ephesian Diana.

134
goddess became enlarged to nine, when each of the three persons – maiden, nymph and crone –
appeared in triad to demonstrate her divinity. Her worshipers never quite forgot that there were not three
goddesses, but one goddess; although by Classical times, Arcadian Stymphalus was one of the few
remaining sanctuaries where they all bore the same name: Hera (a metathesis of Rhea).
The Great Mother Goddess and theonym of Macedonia was the Sun-goddess, feature clearly visible
from the Sun-rays aureol around her head. The Lavrus (Lat. Labrys, sacred double-axe), the copis
sword, shield and other military attributes leave no doubt about her belligerent nature. 220 She was
undoubtedly the prototype goddess for copy-paste of later female deities, like Nike, Demetra, Artemis,
Athene, Tyche, etc. The Amazon-like Mō or Ma „the Invincible‟221, was later adopted by the Romans
too, and she became known by as “Bellona”. Тhus the goddess of Smyrna was also her lookalike,
represented as an Amazon holding the double-axe and pelte (small Macedonian shield). Another coin of

Above: another image of double-axe wielding Mō/Ma on the bronze plate from the village of
Pretor (on the Lake Prespa, R. of Macedonia)

220
Nikos Čaušidis “Macedonian Bronzes”, Chapter 6: „Double axe-shaped objects, pp. 653-777.
221
“The Cappadocian goddess Mâ and her worship in Macedonia after a bronze plaque of the Pretor,
at the Museum of Resen”, Ţiva Antika 33/2,1983, pp. 165-183.

135
Thyatira 3 shows on the reverse a standing Amazon, clad in a short double chiton; her right hand holds a
spear, her left, the double-axe. Laphria (ancient Koine: ηo Λάθξηα) was an ancient religious festival in
her honor, held every year. In the sanctuaries of “Artemis Laphria” people held a "festival of the
Laphria" in the goddess's honour. They made a barrier of tall logs round the altar, "still green", so that
the stockade would not burn. Thenafter they piled the driest wood on the altar, for kindling, and then
smoothed the approaches to the pyre by laying earth on the altar steps. On the 1st day, the people
walked in procession of the "greatest grandeur" for the goddess. A virgin priestess brought up the rear,

riding in a chariot which was drawn by tame yoke deer. The next day, living animals were sacrificed,
including birds, boars, deer, gazelles, wolves and bears, but also fruit from trees. The altar was set on
fire. Animals forced out by the first leap of the flames, or escaping at full tilt were thrown back into the
fire, to their death, by those who had brought them.
Her sacred double-axe Lavrus (Latin-dubbed “Labrys”, also known as “Demeter labrys symbol”)
was regularelly found in the Neolithic and Bronze Age layers all across Macedonia and wider Aegean
areal. Plutarch had paragoned her with Semele and/or Athene, but she appears made in terracotta and
stone as of the Neolithic, long before the Semitic Danaan and Roman invasions.
With the Bronze Age transition of the power to the male deities, the worship of the double-axe as
goddess symbol became domain of the Sky-father, and a thunder symbol of his ability to fertilize the
Earth through lightning. In the second millennium BCE the double-axe was compared with lightning
too, and also associated with the Hittite supreme god of sky and storm Teshub.
His Hittite and Luwian name was Tarun. Both are depicted holding a triple thunderbolt in one hand, and
a double axe in the other hand. It is presumed that this sacred object arrived in Macedonian Peninsula
from there, but it remains just one of the theories, because the the single and double bronze axes were
present among the Early Bronze Age artifacts of Macedonia too. This sacred item appertains to the
much older prehistoric religion of the Great Mother Goddess Mō or Ma, underlining the overall
uniformity of the Aegean Pelasgo-Macedonian areal. This Mother Goddess was also twinned with the
Rhea from Crete. Each was afforded the attribute „She of the axe‟, and each was from Mt. Ida, the
„Mountain of the Goddess‟ – Rhea‟s in Crete and Cybele‟s in Asia Minor. However, the double-axe
“Lavrus” (Lat. “Labrys”) is considered to be the sacred symbol of the priestesses, and insignia of the
Samothrace mysteries as initiation token/amulet of the owners.

136
137
Above: some of the numerous Bronze Age double-axe and triple double-axe amulets and
artifacts found in R. of Macedonia. From left to right: double-axes with cross in the center from
locality “Visoi” near Beranci; triple double-axes from the necropolis in Kutlesh, Aegean
Macedonia; and triple double-axes from the necropolis “Groblje” near Beranci (Kumanovo) in R.
of Macedonia

Next page: Copper and Bronze tools and weapons unearthed from the tumulus at the village of
Kravari near Bitola. Bitola Museum, 13th century BCE

138
The concept of the goddess with double-axe expressed in iconic form by a simple type would later
derived the doubled images of her too – by representing two statues of Pallas side by side, standing in a
double chapel; the two-bodied Hecates; the two enthroned Cybeles; the two Great Mothers worshipped
at Engyion, Sicily, etc. To this sort of doubling would naturally succeed pairs, the members of which
differ from case to case (Hecate and Enodia, Apolon and Artemis, Atis and Cybele, etc.). The child of
the Great Mother Goddess also is often a Mother herself, and as a secondary development, the Goddess-
Mother in doubled form may appear with child or spouse. And under the later preponderant influence of
the patriarchal system, the Father takes the place of the Mother.
Alongside with these indications of her undisputed powers, multiforms, and the mother-goddess
avatars, we come across forms of address of her daughter, again, this time Ti-ni-ta or Carthaginian
Tanit, and Nu-da or Egyptian Nut. In this connection it came to attention that Tanit (also vocalized as
Tinnit) represents again the chthonic aspect of celestial Astarte, who was referred to in Cretan
hieroglyphic by her symbol the Star - . In similar vein, the Egyptian goddess Nut is identified in the
inscriptions from Byblos with Hathor or Baªalat - “the Mistress”, of which the first in later times is also
addressed with the byname Isis (once again votive double-appelation!) – all indications of a youthful
goddess comparable to later chthonic Persephone/Proserpina. This universal daughter-goddess, then, is
presumably paired with her mother in the expression Da-du-ma-ta “(the goddesses) of the home(s)”,

139
which again explicitly and inevitably returns back to the Macedonic composite root word of Do-ma-ta
[which is articled of Do-ma] - „the home‟.222 The first Linear A inscription which comes into
consideration in this connection is the Pelasgic one on a steatite vessel from Kythera (KY Za 2), dated c.
1600 BCE, which reads Da-ma-te, on pair to the Pelasgian Da-Wō for the male supreme god.223
Clarification of the legend as an instance of the divine name Demeter lies at hand, disassembled into its
original (Macedonic) syllables: Do - „next to, close/beside‟, and Ma/Mō - „mother‟ (compare the switch
Mo <=> Ma with anglicized Mom).224

Next page: one of the many Neolithic altars of Mō/Ma, the Great Mother Goddess of the Home
(“Doma” - „home‟ in today plain Macedonian)225 unearthed in Republic of Macedonia, 7/6
millennium BCE

222
http://www.makedonski.info/search/doma
223
The „Vol Moloch‟(i.e. “Bull-king”) was erroneously transliterated as “Baal Moloch” too.
224
http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Goddess-and-God-A-Holy-Tension-in-the-First-Christian-
Centuries-ISSN-
225
http://www.makedonski.info/search/doma

140
Now, according to the most plausible analysis this divine name bears testimony of a reflex da- of the
root *gda-, which is (again) in turn a reflection of the PIE *Dheghom- “earth” characterized by
metathesis and attested for the Phrygian place-name Gdanmaa, and PIE root *méhter- i.e. „mother‟. It
flexes further into Macedonic “Gaia” - the famous Earth Goddess of the antiquity, which also comes
from the syllabic verb “Gai ” - „nurtures‟ in plain Macedonian226 and its derivative “Gaj ” - a „dense
grove‟ (one of her elementary-natural dwelling places and deeply secret locus of her sanctuaries)227,
where everything grows uninhibited; but also “Guia” - „(poisonous) snake‟228, as the snakes are chthonic
animals that are in the most direct relation with the earth.

226
https://glosbe.com/en/mk/nurtures
227
https://www.protectedplanet.net/gaj-nature-reserve
228
https://sr.wiktionary.org/wiki/guja

141
 Above: different ancient 'Snake-goddesses' (or priestesses of the Great Mother Goddess Mo)
from left to right: two Snake-goddess figurines from Knossos; and Angitia ('She-strangler'), a
Snake-goddess of the Abruzzi (Italia)

As IE Anatolian definitely lacks a reflex of the given root for “mother”, the divine name must be
assumed to originate from an Indo-European language other than the Anatolian ones. If we further
realize that the (so-called “Greek”) reflex of *gda- is ge or ga instead of da-, attested already for the
Macedonic divine name Ma-ka (i.e. Ma-Ga)229 - for “Mother Earth” in the Linear B texts from Thebes,
this so-called “Greek” language also seems to be excluded.230 By means of education, then, only the pre-
“Greek” Pelasgian language comes into consideration for the origin of the divine name Demeter, which
inference can be backed up by mythical evidence as preserved in ancient literary tradition, according to
which the cult of the goddess is particularly associated with Pelasgians. Discovered and thought to be
the very same goddess also in the Egyptian pantheon as As (Lat. Isis i.e. Ast, or Astarte in
Mesopotamia), and in the Sumerian pantheon as Ki - the primordial goddess of the earth syncretized as
Axiero by Mnasea di Patara (which name reappears as Kubaba/Kybela/Kibela, thenafter transliterated in
Latin as Cybebe/Cybele/Semele i.e. Zemela, from Zemlya - „earth‟ in plain Macedonian) is said to be the
mother of Leivino Dionis, and consort of Dze/Dyaus/Attis, the supreme celestial kreator god. Her annual
festival was from March 21 till 24 (the New Year eve of the ancient Macedonic calendar, still celebrated
as today festivity of „Mladenci‟ in R. of Macedonia), and her chief cult center in the Macedonic-Hittite
empire was the city of Karčemiš (anglicized Kartchemish).
Korivantes/Koribantes was one of the names given to her priests, who performed wild dances on the
festival that celebrates her - Koryvantika. In fact, Clement of Alexandria specifies that

229
http://www.makedonski.info/search/maќea
230
Original name: Gaj; English designation – Nature reserve:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/Gaia

142
“Korivantes/Koribantes were called Kaviroi/Cabeiri, and they transmit the mysteries”. Beside the
Cabeiri/Kabiroi they were syncretized by the Romans with the mythological twins Castor and Pollux,
known as the “Dioscuri” - „gods (with) axes‟, from “Scure” - „axe‟ in plain Latin, but actually Latin-
corrupted form of Macedonic “Sekira” with the same meaning231 which originates from the verb “Seči”
- „cuts‟ in plain Macedonian.232 However, the great gods Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaveiroi remain profoundly
enigmatic creatures, for the ancient authors as well as for the modern ones. That the identity of these
deities wasn‟t quite clear is shown by different ancient sources, all of which lack a clue on the issue.
Their status was equaly obscure, as no one knows for sure if they were gods, daemons, or other thing.
Their cult was principally known from the Samothracian mysteries and transmited from there across the
Macedonian Peninsula. The great gods Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaveiroi have been considered archaic already
in the classical period.
With the confusion of Koryvantes, Dioscuri and Cabiri, a new sort of triad, instead of the
matrilineal, became possible. It manifests itself in this cult of Macedonia and the tale of the three
brothers. That this triad is influenced by those in which the central, important figure has as its assessors
subordinate twins, is proved by the overwhelming predominance of the third brother, the martyr. He
occurs alone on Macedonian coins with the ritual horn, the double-axe or hammer, and the ring round

the neck which Prometheus, another Cabir, also wears. A possible ancestor of the third Cabir may be
traced in the tale of Treta Aptya recounted in the Rig Veda. “Treta” is pre-eminently "the Third", by
whose appellation the names of his wicked brothers, Ekata and Dvita, seem to have been suggested.
Like the third Cabir, Treta was a martyr, pushed by his cruel brothers into a well, from which he later
rose victorious by the favor of the gods. In both stories, the brothers are merely foils for the hero.
Grimm observes that Odhin too is "the Third One." If this assumption is correct, Amphitrite would mean
"She who is preeminently Third." Modern Macedonian folklore shows the same emphasis in the many
tales of three brothers or sisters, of whom the third and youngest invariably succeeds when the others
fail.
The principle of climax is, perhaps, sufficient to account for the preference thus given to the third
place. They likewise were forms of the supreme Sky-god and thunderer, himself the Koures, or divine
youth. The names of the first Curetes, Panamoros, Labrandos, and Palaxos or Spalaxos are cult-titles of
the supreme father god. Labrandos is of course the „god of the double-axe‟. With these deities may be
compared the three Cabeiri of Lemnos, whose feminine counterparts are the three Cabiric nymphs.

231
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sekira
232
http://www.makedonski.info/search/seчi

143
These in turn remind us of the three dancing maidens who surround the shrines of Hecate, and
sometimes possess the attributes of Hecate herself.

Left: Hygieia, the goddess of health, with Macedonic symbol

on her throne
Below: Kleopatra VII Ptolemy nurtures her son. Note the very same symbol on the throne
beneath her (even today the same symbol is on the national flag of Republic of Macedonia)

144
As the chthonic goddess of the earth/soil, her cult in ancient Macedonia was equally zoomorphic and
strongly related to snakes, chthonic creatures par excellence. Figurines of this “snake goddesses”
depicted as playing with snakes were found in many of the archaeological localities across eastern and
central Mediterranean.

Right: Ceres (Etruscan Ziren233) with snakes and grain

The snake is animal that crawls and it‟s in immediate close contact with the earth, the realm of the Great
Mother Goddess. Even the very Macedonian term for Snake - “Zmiya” (hence also “Zmey” - „dragon‟)
in all Macedonic languages is directly related and descends from the Macedonian root word for „earth‟ -
“Zemiya” in plain Macedonian234; which is again related to the vernacular verb “Zima/Zema” - „it
takes‟235, as the Great Mother Goddess is in charge of the underworld, and she takes us back in her
womb when we die. At the sowing festival of the Thesmophoria, held by women in October, it was
customary to throw cakes, hens and pigs to serpents, which lived in caverns or vaults sacred to the corn-
goddess Demeter/Ceres/Zeirene. The serpent was in deed the regular symbol or attribute both of the
earth fertility and worshipful dead. Accordingly, as already mentioned above, right in front of the eve of
the Great Mother Goddess birthday (the Old New Year Day), on 23rd March236, every year in today
Republic of Macedonia there is still the archaic tradition of “Mladenci”237 when this strange chthonic
usance is observed – people leaving parts of their clothes or personal objects in the places where the
snakes dwell, so the snakes can pass over their clothes and objects, which is considered as a good omen
and blessing to fertility. It‟s even believed that the snakes on that day cease to be venomous.

233
Macedonian Zeirene too. From “Zerno” - „grain‟ in plain Macedonian, plural “Zerna”. Exactly
the same meaning was preserved in Latin-corrupted form “Cereal” - „grain‟:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zrna utterly related to verb “Zree” - „Maturing‟ in plain
Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/zree
234
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zemja
235
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zema
236
The New Year's Day was changed from March 25 to January 1 only in 1752, and dates using the
new calendar were designated „New Style.‟
237
„Youngsters-day‟ in plain Macedonian.

145
 Above: Macedonian chthonic Snake-ritual observance on the night between the 23rd and 24th
of March, the ancient birthday of the Great Mother Goddess
Depicted also as Potinia Therion (abbrev. form of Macedonic “Despotinya/Gospoghinya Zveroi” -
„Mistress of the beasts‟, see “Despotinya”, hence “Despotism”238, and PIE *Ghver- Zver -„beast‟)239 is,
in any case, often represented in the Macedonian, Hittite, Minoan and Mycenaean art. Known as "Lady
of the wild things" (She is always accompanied by lions, snakes, birds, etc.), "Lady of the fairs", "Lady
of the mountain"; she was also called Britomarti (literally "Sweet-girl-daughter") or with many other
similar epithets. These expressions gain impetus in the late Iron Age, and tend to expand into long

238
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despotism
239
PIE *ghwer-PIE (gwer) – beast; in today Modern Macedonian: zver [-gh- > -d- > -z- phonetic
mutation]. Latin: theria - „having an animal form‟.

146
aretalogical praises, notably in the cult of As/Isis. The prayer to Isis in Apuleius Met. 11.2 exemplarily
summarizes the fixed scheme of numerous hymnic prayers: “Whether thou art Ceres, … or heavenly
Venus, … or the sister of Phoebus, … or Proserpina … by whatever name or ceremony or visage it is
right to address thee”.240 Isis too owed one of her fixed epithets, „Murionymos‟, to the enormous variety

of her names. Their numbers (Ishtar/Astarte/Agartis/Artemis/Diana/Cybele/Kibela/Kubaba, etc.) seem

to be liable to infinite multiplication as a result of a peculiar phenomenon that we have come across in
passing. If Nausicaa had been a goddess and if Odysseus‟s guess had been correct, that would have been
the end of the story – Homeric theology knows only one Artemis. The rest of it are rich transcription-
postdated constructions.
The enigmatic moment of so many different representations of the Great Mother Goddess as
iconographical problem was first posited by Chapouthier in 1935, whose identification was generally
explained as a „Moon Goddess‟, or as Helen, the sister of the Dioskouroi, later equated with Selene. This
is due to the new overwhelming exclusivity of the Sun as the symbol of the male potency. The central
goddess on the monuments from Macedonia also has often been recognized as „Artemis/Diana‟, but
these are very late Koine/Latin denominations. In order to reveal the hidden identity of the central
Mother Goddess deity, it must be additionally considered the earlier appearance of Kibela/Cybele.
Taking in account the relationship of Kibela/Cybele with the Dioskouroi/Cabiri, as well as some
iconographic analysis in a wider context, another interpretative perspective opens. After all,

240
“quoquo nomine, quoquo ritu, quaqua facie te fas est invocare.” - The Isiac Hymn of
Isidorus (Totti 1985 no. 21).

147
Kibela/Cybele was present as Kubaba/Cabiro at least 1000 years before the “Artemis/Aphrodite/Diana”.

Above: the holy throne stone remnants of the chthonic Great Mother Goddess sanctuary, and
presumably a hypaethral astrological observatory on the hilltop of Kokino in Republic of
Macedonia, 3rd millennium BCE

As a younger group the Semitic “Greex” have naturally borrowed and addopted many ideas from the
more advanced nations of Asia Minor and Macedonian Peninsula. But why all these different epithets
and not proper names? Because the name of so important deities was kept in secrecy, and pronouncing it
in public was the worst sacrilege. The figure of a goddess of nature, of birth and death, was dominant
throughout the Neolithic and the Bronze Age. In the later historical times, all these various Mother
Goddesses of the earth and animals still wielded immense power and were equally worshiped.241 But in
a male-dominated pantheons. The ѕеrene epoch of Neolithic Matrilineal kingdom of peace and
prosperity has been lost forever, in front of the tyrannical supremacy of ancient masculine war-gods…
Large part of this mythology is politico-religious history of the Great Mother Goddess being dethroned.
Bellerophon masters winged Pegasus and kills the Himera (Lat. Chimaera). Perseus, in a variant of the
same legend, flies through the air and beheads Pegasus‟s mother, the Gorgon Medusa; much as Marduk,
a Babylonian hero, kills the she-monster Tiamat, Goddess of the Seal, etc.

241
Innana/Ishtar/Astarte/Agartis, Asherah, As/Isis, Anat, Nut/Nekbeh, Rhea, Ira, Gaia,
Cybele/Kibela/Cabiro/Kupalo/Kubaba/Cybebe, Demetra, Uni/Juno, Magna Mater,
Zeirene/Ceres, etc.

148
Dion (Dze/Dyaus/Dzevs, Amon Dzevs, i.e. Dii/Diaol/Dia-Vol in today vernacular Macedonian242)
hence Vō and/or Gō (i.e. Gōlem - „the Great‟ or referring particle-suffix “Go” - „it/him‟ in plain
Macedonian)243 – was the Supreme Creator-God and the uppermost universe deity par excellence.
Represented in the Ancient Macedonian syllabic-script first by the simple vertical line “I” which also
had meaning of letter „A‟ and/or „He-first one‟, and sometimes described with the syllable “”- which
reads “Gō” i.e. “Gōlem” - „the Great One‟, but also written with syllabic ligature as VIII ← from right to
left “Bogo Vō”. This

fair and square upright symbolism of the supreme sky-god creator appears in all the prehistoric beliefs
(see above on page 21). For example, the center of the paragon-cult of Ra in Egypt was in the city of

242
Still preserved only in the Aegean Macedonian dialects as a (latinized) curse “ζην δηάνιν”(„sto
diaolo‟) - „(go) to devil‟ (anglicized: „go to hell‟), from the corrupted Italian “(Que)sto”:
http://etimo.it/?term=questo&find=Cerca (see also the vernacular “Sto cazzo!”) + southern archaic
Macedonian “Dyaus/Diaol/Diavol” - „devil‟, from the “Dictionary of Macedonian Dialects in
Southeastern Aegean Part” by Kosta Peev, v.1, p.341:
https://books.google.mk/books/about/%D0%A0%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BA
_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%
D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%82.html?id=LpEXAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y
243
http://www.makedonski.info/search/golem, https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%B3%D0%BE*; example: “Go muti” – „it bothers him‟
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=mk&tl=en&text=%D0%B3%D0%BE
%20%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B8

149
„Anu‟244 (Koine Iliopolis; Lat. Heliopolis) which means the “(city of ) Pillar”, as the symbol of the Sun-
God Ra was again vertical, i.e. the upright obelisk - “”. And look the case – Chinese ideogram for
(“Upright” is the same: 上245, the Semitic name for Saturn is “Kwn” - „standing upright‟; the word was
brought over to Macedonian Peninsula by the Semitic “Greex” as “kión” - „a pillar‟. But the cult of
standing stone, totem pole or pillar, was much older than the cult of Ra, Saturn and/or Gō(lem), and
superseded him by a long shot. Pillars of this supreme kreator sky-god were to be found across the
Macedonian Peninsula and central Europe long before and still after the event of Christianity. In the
Macedonic Pantheon he was the highest absolute ruler and supreme celestial kreator. The same upright-
pillar form “” is found as early as in the Neolithic, where the altars of the Great Mother Goddess in
prehistoric Macedonia often have the same symbol made as openings for offers on the sides of altars.

Above: altar of the Great Mother Goddess of the Home from the village of Porodin, near
Bitola. 7th millennium BCE, Republic of Macedonia
To fully understand his appellation Vō/Gō it must be explained that the syllable „Gō‟ [Go-o] is
interchangeable with „Vō‟ [Vo-o]; this epideictic votive pronounciation is still observable as a suffix in
the Old Church Macedonic, as well as archaic remnant in Russian (for example: “Segodnya” - „today‟ is

244
From the syllabic theonym “An” (i.e. A - „the 1st one‟ and N(i) - „of us‟ in plain Macedonian)
through “Anu” into “Amun” and “Amun-Ra”, all the names of the Sun-god.
245
https://www.hsk.academy/en/characters/%E4%B8%8A

150
pronounced „Seevodnya‟).246 The syllable “Vō” has a very special votive significance, and it is not by
chance that is the root word for Latin-anglicized “Triumph” - from Koine-corrupted form ζξίακβν(ο)247
i.e. ThriamVo(s) – "Triple-Vō".248 As “Bogo Vō” was the highest Supreme Creator-God, grand-
grandfather of all other gods, so, it is no wonder that his Syllabic theonym V ō was invoked 3-times. As
already mentioned above the double-triple appellations were common feature of the syllabic language as

Above: 3-headed presentations of the (Triple) Vō, in later traditions also known as god of war
249
„Triglav‟ or „Lugh/Lugus‟ (i.e. „Loko-boo‟ in plain “Tartessian”)
from the archaic period (Is-Is, Ma-Ma, Ba-Ba, Da-Da, etc.) and fits perfectly with his northeastern
version-epithet “Papa” (Lat. Papaius), which was reported by Erodot as the Skythian name of the very

246
There are many other words still containing this archaic „go/vō‟ interchangeable syllable in
function as epideictic and epic suffix at the end of the words: -„Svyatogō‟- (i.e. „appertaining to
(his) holiness‟) - is equally pronounced „Svyatovo‟ e.g. „of the Holy-great‟; - „Ruskogō‟ - is
pronounced „Ruskavo‟ i.e. „of the Russia-great‟ („of Great Russia‟, „appartheining to Great
Russia‟), because if you say it without the suffix “Gō” just plainly “Rusko” - „Russian, of Russia‟ –
it has no votive grandeur whatsoever.
247
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=el&tl=en&text=%CE%B8%CF%81
%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B2%CE%BF%CF%82
248
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=triumph – Important Note: the Koine “β” is NOT the
same to Latin “B”, but to “V”! Listen the above Google Translate translation.
249
In the list of glosses from the SW corpus (Correa 1992, 98-101). “Tartessian” – conventional
historiography agreed name for the Southwestern „Celtiberian‟, actually Southwestern Gaulish
Pelasgo-Etruscan script.

151
same Sky-father god and supreme creator. Yet, it is just another syllabic fascination adjective-epithet of
him. It simply means “Upper-upper” or “Highness-highness”, and even today remained as vernacular
wondrous exclamation: “Paa-paa!” in plain Macedonian.250 Bogo Vō was the Supreme Creator-God,
grand-grandfather of all other gods.251 In archaic times he was registered as Dion/Dzevs, and further
also known as Grom Daž-bog or Grom Div („Thunder Giant‟) i.e. Hromi Daba252 of the so-called
“Slavic” mythology, thus corrupted as 'Chrom Dabh' in Gaul/"Celtic"253.
As an obvious syncretization of the most primordial „Horned god‟, (i.e. the prehistoric celestial Sky-
father and god of thunder), this Supreme Thunderer (from “Grom” - „Thunder‟ in plain Macedonian254,
corrupted “Hrom” in Czecho-Slovakian255, Serbo-Croatian, and as “Crom/Chronos” in western-latinized
idioms; where from “Chronos” also turned into Latin “Ouranus/Uranus”, etc.) with time was
syncretized into other gods and/or creator of all the other gods. So, is it possible that Grom/Crom Dubh
is really 5000+ years old deity? Undoubtably yes. We find additional proof of the antiquity and the
importance of the Macedonic (dubbed “Slavic”) Grom and/or Gaul/"Celtic" Crom Dubh in the Balkans
tradition where Crom Dubh is retained as “Hromi Daba”, a corrupted form of “Grom Div” - the
„Thunder Titan/Giant‟. But, there‟s also another very possible explanation: as the most sacred tree for
Macedonians is “Dab” - „Oak‟ in plain Macedonian, thus “Grom Dab / Hromi Daba / Chrom Dabh”
could mean the “Thunder Oak”, and maybe as extraordinary Oak-tree stroke by Thunder which
would‟ve rose into Supreme sacred object of veneration.
Further, this is what Macedonian Peninsula people‟s tradition tells us about Hromi Daba: According
to the “Slavic” folk tradition, Hromi Daba was another name for the old god Dabog/Daţbog/Daţdbog -
the „Giver-god‟ and/or fertility god of rain – “Daţd/Doţd-bog” - „Rain-god‟, the ancestral deity of the
most ancient people. This identifies the Grom Daţbog/Hromi Daba/Crom Dubh as the ancestor of all the
other pagan gods too. Intermingled as PIE *Dyaeus-, Pelasgic: Dyaus Pitar, Roman: Jupiter (from Dze-
Pater; see filopator too)256, Paionian: Deivos, if he is really 5000-6000 years old, that would make him
at least a contemporary with the oldest prehistoric deities in Eurasia and north Africa, if not their origin.
This hybrid supreme god, in classical period called Amon Dzevs, had an oracle located deep in the
Libyan desert, a few hundred miles west of Memphis, the Egyptian capital city. The fact that he is
directly linked with the Bull cult makes it possible that it descends from much earlier Horned God and
sacred Stag/Bull cults, which are attested in the eastern Mediterranean area around 10-12,000 years ago.

250
For comparison see also the obsolete “Patagon” - denoting a member of a native people alleged
by travelers of the 17th and 18th c. to be the tallest known (in Patagonia accordingly); also
“Palace” from Latin Palatium -„high, hill‟, etc.
251
Koine: Παπαῖορ; Herodotus,1998: IV. 59.
252
https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabog
253
http://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-old-is-crom-dubh.html
254
http://www.makedonski.info/search/grom#%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BC/%D0%BC
255
“Kdekoľvek je hrom, tam je aj blesk.” – „Where‟s thunder there‟s lightning.‟ In Polish,
Czech, and Slovak languages “G” passed into “H”: Grad/Hrad, Grom/Hrom, etc.
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=udrel%20hrom
256
“Father-loving”, also “Philopatric” adjective Zoologic, from filo- [liking] + patria „fatherland‟ +
-ic.

152
What is also obvious from the image above is the original boustrophedon way of writing (ΟΣSΗΑΗΦΔΖ
 HEFIAISTO, Lat. Hephaestus), which implies the possible double-meaning of the god's names if
readden in both directions. Thus, if we read the "Dzevs" from right to left than we read "Svesd/Svesth" –
'awareness, conscience' in plain Macedonian.257
The etymological explanation of the above mentioned, and so much praised votive grandeur of the
syllables Gō/Vō is rather simple. In the times of Agricultural Revolution the domesticated cattle slowly
but inevitably replaced the big herds of wild horned beasts, thus the Horned God was also refurbished
with new type of horns, those of the Voll/Bull, Ram or Goat. Instead of the numerous wild grasing
animals from the Paleolithic, in Neolithic era the wild game increasingly diminished. And since it was
much easier to replenish the horns from a bull (or ram) instead to hunt a deer or wild aurochs, the
Horned God became Bull/Ram-horned god; for to primitive cattle-breeders the bull (or ram) became the
most natural emblem of generative force. Thus, the epoch of the Celestial Sacred Bull, Apis, initiated.
The Macedonian word for „Bull‟ is precisely the “Vō” and/or “Vol ”258, but also “Gō-vedo” – both of
which directly related to PIE root word *gwou-259; hence also the Latin-corrupted „Bovine‟ (from “Vō”,
Latinized into “Bo” + “Ovine”)260.
The Bogo Gō/Vō was that almighty god of heaven, the Sky-father, and rose into supreme lord of all
other deities, the Great Mother Goddess Mō comprised. His full epithetic name was the „1st Great One‟
or “Bo-Gō-Vō” - „the Great spirit Vō‟ (see the Scandinavian Vodin, Pelasgian Da-Wō, and Celtiberian

257
http://www.makedonski.info/search/svest
258
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vol, hence Diavol/Diabolo too;
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=%D0%B4%D0%
B2%D0%B0%20%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0
259
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*gwou-, see also “Gnu”, etc.
260
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=bovine

153
Lu-Go-Bo261 too), from which descends the today universal Macedonic word for „god‟ - BoGo (marked
by the syllabic ligature represented by three vertical lines – III, or again by the later hyeroglyphic symbol
of the sacred double battle axe - 262); thus he was also known in the later historiography as the
Macedonic god Dion/Dyaus/Diaolo or Deiwos/Dzevs, with Koine epithets Etaireios263 Hyperberetas
(“the heroic one who bestows”). He was the supreme sky-father god and solar divinity par excellence,
comparable also to Marduk of Babylonia, old Egyptian Amun Ra, Sumerian Anu, Etruscan Ani and/or
Tin, Venetic Svantevith, Russian Rod/Swarogō, Pelasgian Da-Wō, and/or Wodeen (Odin) of
Scandinavian mythology. In Egypt in the time of Akenathen264 the cult of this specific prehistoric Proto-

Macedonian solar/sky-god - the 1st Great One (), was introduced by Akenathen‟s mother, who at that
time became a Macedonic-Hittite queen of Egypt, like Kleopatra VII fourteen centuries later. This

261
Written also as: “Lugh”, Gaulic: LVCVBV (Lu-Ku-Bu)
262
The references of the sign transcription: De Hoz 1976, 257; Untermann,1990, 142; Faria 1991,
193; Rodríguez Ramos 2002, 233; Correa 2004, 86. From the “Preliminary proposal to encode the
southern Palaeohispanic scripts for the Unicode standard” by Joan Ferrer, Noemí Moncunill and
Javier Velaza. See also the inscriptions from Fonta Vhela, a Pre-Roman semi-syllabic
Palaeohispanic script used by „Celtiberians‟ as a non-Indo-European Iberian language.
263
The epithet „Etaireios‟ shows clear onomastic relation to the „Etairoi‟, a Macedonian Royal
institution par excellence. There are also records of the homonymous Macedonic festivity called
„Etairideia‟.
264
“The heretic pharaon” who ruled Egypt in 14th century BCE.

154
episode happened when Amenophis III, the son and successor of Thothmes IV, found it necessary to
secure his kingdom by entering into matrimonial alliance with the powerful Macedonic-Hittite king of
Naharina (i.e. Mesopotamia -„between-two-rivers‟). Amenophis IV, the son of Amenophis III and
grandson of Thothmes IV, was educated in the Macedonic-Hittite faith of his mother, and after his
accession to the throne endeavored to impose this new solar credo upon his unwilling subjects. The
powerful priesthood withstood him for a while, but at last he assumed the name of Khu-n-Aten (i.e.
Akenathen) – „the refulgence of the solar disk‟, and after quitting Thebes and its ancient temples he built
a new capital dedicated to the new divinity. It stood on the eastern bank of the Nile, to the north of
Assut, and its long line of ruins is now known to the natives under the name of Tel el-Amarna (“of the
Ama-Urites”, i.e. Hittites). The city was filled with the adherents of the new creed, and their tombs are
yet to be found in the cliffs that enclose the desert on the east.

Right: Hittite Storm-god Tarun/Teshub

Phoenicians for example it looks like they too acknowledged only a single deity – a single mighty
power, which was supreme over the whole universe. The names by which they designated him were El -
“great;” Ram or Rimmon - “high;” Baal - “Lord;” Melek or Molech - “King;” Eliun - “Supreme;” Adonai
- “My Lord;” Bel-Samin - “Lord of Heaven,” etc.

155
One fact must be emphasized again and again – the above two primordial supreme god‟s Macedonic
names (Gō/Vō and Mō/Ma) are distant remembrance of how the gods were named with their prehistoric
most basic syllable names, and confirm the rule, of almost all of the primordial gods at the dawn of
humanity, which all had very short monosyllabic names: As – the original Egyptian name of
Isis/Ishtar/Astarte; Baal – Phoenician fertility god; Tin – the supreme Etruscan creator and father-god of
thunder; Ur – Mesopotamian bull sun-god; Nu – Egyptian maker of the universe and prokreator of the

gods; Ptah and/or Ra – Egyptian sun-god; Ea – Mesopotamian water god, “Slavic” Rod (later
SwaRoGo) – the Sky-god and supreme kreator, etc. In correspondence to the syllabic simplicity of the
early Proto-Language, today known under the term “Nashinski” (Lat. Nostratic), the early gods had very
clear monosyllabic names too. The later names of the gods are generally compound words containing
again within them the syllabic names of the sun-gods: Ab, Ak, Am, Ar, As, At, El, Il, and On. In Homer,
priests of Dion/Dzevs, were also called „Elloi‟ (later biblical „Elohim‟) from El or Asel, the Sun; Εlli,
Elle (ειε), „alea‟ or „halea‟ (αιεα), and anglicized „halo‟, mean the same. We have the Etruscan Usil,
and Ausel, names of the sun again.

156
157
Goropei/Oropei (i.e. „Mountain-singer‟, Lat. Orpheus, hence “Morpheus‟ too) – was the mythical
Macedonian deified singer, poet, god of poetry, musicians, and animals. According to tradition his place
of origin, Leibethra on the foothills of Mt Olymp, was part of Macedonia. His grave too was located in
Macedonia (Pausanias 9.30.7). The myth says that it was Leivino Dionis who send Maenads to kill him
at Dion in Macedonia. As sacred king he was struck by a thunderbolt – that is, killed with a sacred
double-axe – in an oak grove at the summer solstice, and then dismembered by the Maenads of the bull

cult, in the same fashion as Phrygian Zagreus; or of the stag cult, like the Actaeon; the Maenads, in fact,
represented the Muses. Other ancient sources claim that Goropei did not come in conflict with the cult
of Leivino Dionis; he was Dionis, and he played the rude alder-pipe, not the civilized lyre. Thus Proclus
(Commentary on Plato‟s Politics) writes: “Orpheus, because he was the principal in the Dionysian rites,
is said to have suffered the same fate as the god”, and Apollodorus credits him with having invented the
Mysteries of Dionis. Goropei had instituted the Mysteries of Apollo in Macedonia; those of Hecate in
Aegina; and those of Subterrene Demeter at Sparta. From the 6th century BCE onwards, Goropei, his
original Macedonic name testified by the ancient inscriptions (see the mosaic below), was considered
one of the chief poets and musicians of antiquity. He was known in the time of Ibycus (530 BCE);
Pindar (522-442 BCE) speaks of him as "the father of songs" and the inventor and/or perfector of the
lyre. As one of the pioneers of civilization, he is said to have taught mankind the arts of medicine,

158
agriculture and writing. Goropei is said by Diodorus Siculus to have used the old 13-consonant Pelasgic
alphabet. The novel worship of the Sun as All-father seems to have been brought to the Northern
Aegean by the fugitive priesthood of the monotheistic Akhenaton, in the 14th century BCE, and grafted
upon the local cults; hence the Goropei alleged visit to Egypt. Goropei was shown in a temple-painting

at Delphi (Pausanias) leaning against a willow-tree and touching its branches. Records of this faith are
found in Sophocles (Fragments), where the sun is referred to as „the eldest flame, dear to the Thracian
horsemen‟, and as „the sire of the gods, and father of all things.‟ It seems to have been forcefully
resisted by the more conservative Macedonians, and bloodily suppressed in some parts of the country.
But later Orphic priests, who wore Egyptian costume, called the demi-god whose raw bull‟s flesh they
ate „Dionis‟, and reserved the name „Apollon‟ for the immortal Sun: distinguishing Leivino Dionis, the
god of the senses, from Apollon, the god of the intellect. This explains why the head of Orpheus was laid
up in Leivino Dionis‟s sanctuary, but the lyre in Apollo‟s. The similarities and practically oneness
between Orphic and Dionysiac mysteries are evident, though the particular arrangement and relationship
between the Orphism and Dionysiac beliefs, like for other prehistoric events transmited through
mythology, remains unclear. The Derveni papyrus, a 4th-century religious and philosophical tract found
at Derveni in Macedonia, contains a lengthy commentary on an Orphic theogony.
Orphic myth say that black-winged Night, a goddess of absolute power, was courted by the Wind
and laid a silver egg in the womb of Darkness; and that Eros, whom some call Phanes, was hatched

159
from this egg and set the Universe in motion. Eros was double-sexed and golden-winged and, having
four heads, sometimes roared like a bull or a lion, sometimes hissed like a serpent or bleated like a ram.
Night, who named him Ericepaius and Protogenus Phaëthon, lived in a cave with him, displaying
herself in triad: Night, Order and Justice. Before this cave sat inescapable mother Rhea, playing on a
brazen drum, and compelling man's attention to the oracles of the goddess. Phanes created earth, sky,
sun, and moon, but the triple-goddess ruled the universe, until her sceptre passed to Uranus. But his
name is a masculine form of Ur-ania (i.e. “Or-ania” today “Gorana”265 in plain Macedonian - 'Queen of
the mountains' or 'Queen of wild oxen') – the goddess in her orgiastic midsummer aspect.
Eurydice‟s death by snake-bite and Goropei‟s subsequent failure to bring her back into the sunlight,
figure only in late myth. They seem to be mistakenly deduced from pictures which show Goropei‟s
welcome in Tartarus, where his music has charmed the Snake-goddess Hecate, or Agriope („savage
face‟), into giving special privileges to all ghosts initiated into the Orphic Mysteries, and from other
pictures showing Leivino Dionis, whose priest „Orpheus‟ was, descending to Tartarus in search of his
mother Semele. Eurydice‟s victims died of snake-bite, not herself. Actually her name does not appear in
ancient sources before Hermesianax in the early 3rd century BCE; in fact, the name Eurydice became
popular only after the rise to prominence of Macedonian queens and princesses of that name.

265
Preserved still today as a personal name.

160
Dionis or Λειβηνο(ο) ό Γιόνςζο(ο) [„Leivino or Dionis‟ as recorded in the Hesychius lexicon; from
“Lei” - „to pour, to spill‟266, and “Vino” - „wine‟267] – the bull-horned Leivino Dionis was the god of
wine among all, and Ancient Macedonians were famous as heavy drinkers. He was also the young sun,
supreme celestial sun-god of fertility and wine, mythological father of Macedon, and was the next great

primordial god that reappears from the immemorable prehistoric times. He was a new version of the old
Horned God, Mesopotamian Tamuz, syncretized as Macedonian Adonis and/or Dionis Pseudanor, i.e.

266
http://www.makedonski.info/search/lee
267
http://www.macedoniantruth.org/forum/showthread.php?t=516

161
Paionian Dyalos/Dyaus268; Brygian/Phrygian: Attis, Sabazius/Salvazius269 and/or Zagreus; Etruscan:
Fufluns; Roman: Bachus; Egyptian: Osiris/Orus, Lat. Horus (both Orus/Horus meaning „Upper‟,
„Goren‟ in plain Macedonian)270, Esmun/Osmion/Thoth, Serapis, Sirius, etc. When the first PIE Barb-
Aryans fashioned the other gods out of the forces and forms in nature, this root-name was implied for
Dionis as well. Further etymological and more plausible explanation is through the PIE word root for
blow/breath/soul: Deuh [doūh], as shown in Hittite “Tuhhai” (i.e. “Duvai” in plain Macedonian,
Sanskrit: vaya) -„gasp‟, thus the Old Church Macedonic Dusha/dishe - „soul, breath‟, and finally as
Koine „theo(s)‟ [deo(s)] - „god‟, until the anglicized „Death‟.
The mystery cult of Leivino Dionis is one of the most intricate and oldest mythological appearances
known to humanity. His name is enshrouded in immemorial timeworn forgotten past. According to his
astrological and animistic attributes, the time frame of his conception coincides with the Zodiacal Era of

Taurus (Bull), which spans from 4th to 2nd millennium BCE, but the symbols with his attributes, maybe
marking him as a god under yet another name unknown to us, were found even earlier. “As/Az” – „The
1st‟ was yet another if not the first of his appellations, before attacking the „Titan/Theos/Deus‟ adjective
infront of his syllabic original name. The Macedonic Aryans (i.e. Barb-Aryans) gave the origin of the
syllabic name Dya-Us (Paionian Dyalos), from a root-word which means „soul-shine‟, divided in

268
Note that the letter /Y/ originally was pronounced /U/, so „Dyaus‟ is actually pronounced
„Dooauš‟, directly related to „Douh/douša‟ which in plain Macedonian means „Spirit/soul‟. Thus
“Dionis” literally means “Duh-naš” – the „Spirit/soul-of-ours‟; see also Dyaus Varuna.
269
His Phrygian name was later adopted by the Romans as the name for Silvanus (Lat. Silvaticus -
„of the woods‟; from silva - „a wood‟), and through Old French was corrupted into „sauvage‟ and
finally „savage‟ in today plain English, as a synonym for the animal force of nature.
270
http://www.makedonski.info/search/gore

162
elementary syllables: Dua/Douh - „soul‟271, and Us/Lus - „ascent‟ and/or „incandescent‟ (like the sun)272.
Same meaning is to be found in the Sanskrit word „Vas-anta‟ - spring, from the IE word root „vas‟ -
shine, heat.273 His other Macedonic name “Zagrei” (Lat. “Zagreus”) means the same: “Zagrei” [intrans.]
- „to heathen-up‟ in plain Macedonian, comparable only to modern Macedonian verb “izgree”-
„rising‟274 and noun “izgrev” [vernacular] - „sunrise‟.275 Also known as “Esmun” i.e. “Osmion” - the
„eight-one‟ in plain Macedonian, as the number „8‟ is the regenerative one. Likely, the Egyptian moon
god Thoth, protector of Hermopolis Magna, had for a title in the inscriptions the sign of the number
eight too. “The god Thoth,” says Salvolini , “was regarded in ancient Egypt as the protector of the city
of Hermopolis Magna; on this account , he everywhere receives in the inscriptions the title which is
„lord‟, followed by the number 8 (adopted into Latin as corrupted form of „Thoth‟ it‟s today “otto” - 8 in
Italian;276 hence anglicized “eight” too). That the reader may understand the origin of the use of the
number eight in the expression of this divine title, it will only be necessary to remind that the (older)
Egyptian name of Hermopolis reads SCHMOUN (i.e. “Osmion/Osum” - „eight‟ in plain Macedonian), in
the Coptic as well as in the Egyptian a word identical with this name indicates the number 8.”277 It can
only be presumed that Dionis/Thoth was the 8th in rank of the categorization of gods. Who were the
other original seven numbers of the 7 Great Gods or Cabeiri/Kabiroi we can only guess (there are the
clues that the Sky-father god and thunderer was “6”, and Apolon was “7”).
How intricate and multilayered the personality of this god was can be seen by many different avatars
adopted by a number of ancient tribes.278 As Sabazios (Koine: ΢αβάδηνο) he was the nomadic horseman
and Sky-father god of the Phrygians and “Thracians”279. In Indo-European languages, such as Phrygian,

271
Modern Macedonian “Duh” [dūh] - soul, breath; Russian “Dlya” [dlyā] - preposition; eng. „to‟-
identifying the person or thing affected.
272
“Usviten” [ouswitten] - adjective, “Usvity” [ouswitty] - verb; emitting light as a result of being heated,
„heated-up‟ in plain Macedonian (see also Uspenie -„ascension'); Usil - the Etruscan sun-god; present as
„lux-‟ or „lus-‟ in Latin, from Macedonian “L‟č ” - „light‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/lч, hence
lucere - „shine‟, lustrare - „illuminate‟, etc.
https://glosbe.com/en/mk/incandescent
273
see also Macedonic „Vasiona‟ - space, kosmos.
274
http://www.makedonski.info/search/izgree
275
http://www.makedonski.info/search/izgrev from Macedonic word “Gree” [verb] - to make or become
hot or warm; thus “izgrev”- „rising heat‟ (of the sun) as only the sun rises to heat the earth; compare
also to Macedonic “izvor”- „water-source‟, from “iz”- „from‟, and “voda”- „water‟
http://www.makedonski.info/search/izvor
276
Example: “Ottocento” – literally „800‟ (shortened from „milottocento‟ - 1800), used with
reference to the years 1800–99.
277
Salvolini, „Analysis of egyptian texts‟ p.230.
278
The list of his names: http://oidromoitoukrasioukaitoudionisou.blogspot.com/2015/04/blog-
post_22.html
279
The toponym “Thrace” has been misused by ancient authors with different meanings: geographical,
ethnic, political, even cultural. Herodotus wrote: “…the Thracians bear many names, according to the
region they lived, but they all have the same customs, except the Gethae, the Thrausi and those who
dwell above the Crestonians (Her. 5.3.2).” In the earliest times, the entire tract north of the Aegean
Sea was contained under the name “Thrace”: the European areas north of Tessaly, coastal Macedonia
and Chalcidice peninsula until the Scythians to the northeast (Steph. Byz., s.v. Skythai; cf. Amm.,
xxvii, 4, § 3). In this sense, “Thrace” denoted a „tract‟, thus general geographical meaning, not ethnic.
– “…(Orpheus) in the mythological tradition he was a “Thracian”, even though in the historical
period his place of origin, Leibethra on the foothills of Mt. Olymp, was part of Macedonia. In ancient

163
the –dze(us) element in his name derives from the PIE *dyaus-, a common precursor of Latin „Deus‟
('god'). Though the ancient authors interpreted Phrygian Sabazios as both Dyaus and Dionis(us),
representations of him, even into Roman times, show him always on horseback, as a nomadic horseman
god, wielding his characteristic staff of power. It seems likely that the migrating Brygians/Phrygians
brought Sabazios with them when they settled in Asia Minor in the early first millennium BCE, and that
the god's origins are to be looked for in Macedonia and Thrace. "Sabazios... is the same as Dionis(us).
He acquired this form of address from the rite pertaining to him; for the barbarians call the bacchic cry
'sabazein'. Hence some of the Greeks too follow suit and call the cry 'sabasmos'; thereby Dionis(us)
[becomes] Sabazios. They also used to call 'saboi' those places that had been dedicated to him and his
Bacchantes (i.e. Maenads)... Demosthenes in the speech 'On Behalf of Ktesiphon' mentions them. Some
say that Saboi is the term for those who are dedicated to Sabazios, that is to Dionis, just as those
dedicated to Bakkhos are Bakkhoi. They say that Sabazios and Dionis are the same. Thus some also say
that the Phrygians call the Bakkhoi Saboi.”
The single most famous piece of ancient literature with a Dionysiac theme, Euripides‟ “Bacchae”,
was written and performed for the first time in Macedonia in the late 5th century. Among the most
spectacular objects excavated in Macedonia in the past century is a large, 4th-century gilded-bronze
vessel for mixing wine called the Derveni Krater, which is covered in embossed panels that depict
episodes from Dionysiac myth.

times, “Thrace” was the „country of the Other‟ („A foreign land-tract‟). The wine god Leivino Dionis
was reputed to come from “Thrace”, as did the god of war, Ares, even though we know from
Mycenaean texts that both these gods were already fully part of the “Greek” pantheon in the later 2nd
millennium BCE. So “otherness” is an important (non-ethnic) aspect of Orpheus mythological
persona.” - Jan N. Bremmer “Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World”, p. 56.

164
 Macedonian worship of Leivino Dionis seems had begun long ago and continued for millenniums.
According to the 2nd century AD Macedonian author Polyaenus, one of the first kings of the
Macedonians, Argaeus (623-593 BCE), tricked a numerically superior enemy by having women pose as
men wearing wreaths and carrying thyrsi, both of which were attributes associated with Leivino Dionis
(Stratagems 4.1). From distance they looked like warriors carrying spears. To celebrate the success of
this ruse, Argaeus erected a Temple of Dionis Pseudanor (False Man).
It was also adopted by no one else but the Jews, Leivino Dionis appears with he first Jews who
settled in Rome that were expelled in 139 BCE, along with Chaldaean astrologers by Cornelius Hispalus
under a law which proscribed the propagation of the “corrupting” cult of “Jupiter Sabazius,” according
to the epitome of a lost book of Valerius Maximus: “Gnaeus Cornelius Hispalus, praetor peregrinus in
the year of the consulate of Marcus Popilius Laenas and Lucius Calpurnius, ordered the astrologers by
an edict to leave Rome and Italy within ten days, since by a fallacious interpretation of the stars they
perturbed fickle and silly minds, thereby making profit out of their lies. The same praetor compelled the
Jews, who attempted to infect the Roman custom with the cult of Jupiter Sabazius, to return to their
homes.” By this it is conjectured that the Romans identified the Jewish YHVH Tzevaot ("Sa-ba-oth," "of
the Hosts") as Jove Sabazius (i.e. Jupiter Sabazius). This mistaken connection of Sabazios and Sabaos
has often been repeated. In a similar vein, Plutarch maintained that the Jews worshipped Leivino Dionis,
and that the day of Sabbath was a festival of Sabazius. Plutarch also discusses the identification of the
Jewish God with the Egyptian Typhon, identification which he later rejects, however. The monotheistic
Hypsistarians worshipped the Most High under this name, which may have been a form of the same
“Jewish” God.
A sanctuary of Leivino Dionis, that can be traced back to the 15th century BCE, has been
discovered on the island of Keos. Leivino Dionis himself was somewhat of a shape-shifter, and is often
portrayed with wings, grapes, as well as sacred serpents growing from his head. He liked to ride
dolphins, another of his special companions. But, as a forest dweller, and residue from the prehistoric
hunter era, his totem animal par excellence was the Panther280, an agile tree-climber and famous hunter.

In Egypt the spotted skin of a leopard was always suspended near the images of Osiris, the Egyptian
Dionis par excellence, who was himself represented as a crouching Panther surmounted by an open eye.

280
Metathesis from Macedonian “Pentari” - „climbs‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/pentari

165
The name Osiris is said by Plutarch to have been understood as „Os‟ - many and „Iri‟ - eye, i.e. „the
many eyed‟, but the truth is that „Osiris‟ means “Ozaren” - „gazing‟ in plain Macedonian.281 The old
superstition was that the breath of the panther was so sweetly fragrant that it allured men, beasts, and
cattle to inhale it, was in all probability, due to a forgotten fable. Breath means spirit, and in the breath
of the Panther was presumably figured the sweetness of the Breath of Life.
The famous Russian linguist Vadim Tsymbursky proposed yet another plausible interpretation of
the name Dionis on the basis of Macedonic onomastics: “Our God”.282 Leivino Dionis appears in at
least four different characters: 1st, as the respectable patron of the festivals, theatre and the arts; 2nd, as
the effeminate, yet fierce and phallic mystery-god of the bloodthirsty Maenads; 3rd, as the mystic solar
deity with attributes of the celestial bull and son of the supreme creator god in the temples of mother
goddess(es) Axiero/Cabiro/Kibela/Kubaba/Cybele, Demetra/Dea Mater, etc.283; and 4th, as the divine
sun-savior who died for mankind and whose body and blood were symbolically eaten and drunk in the
eucharistical rituals of the Orphic celibates. Orphic priests founded their hopes of the purification and
ultimate immortality of the soul somehow different. Their mode of celebrating this worship diverged
from the popular rites of Leivino Dionis/Bacchus. The Orphic worshippers of Leivino Dionis did not
indulge in unrestrained pleasure and frantic enthusiasm, but rather aimed at an ascetic purity of life and
manners. They wore white linen garments, like Oriental and Egyptian priests, from whom, as Herodotus
remarks, much may have been borrowed in the ritual of the Orphic worship. Beyond that, almost all
Barb-Aryan nations had their own versions of Leivino Dionis under many different names. And yet
there is another simpler explanation – Attis284, Adonis, Bachus, Bromius, Dion, Horus, Leivino, Tammuz,
Orpheus, Osiris, Osmion, Pan, Pater Liber, Phoebus, Sabazius, Serapis, Zalmoxius, Zeus, (and Jesus
Christ himself ) – are different replicas of their grand primordial archetype, As/Az, Dyaus/Dionis. And
all the variations which appear among them resulted from the transplantation of this great son of the
heavenly Supreme God-creator from one region to another, from one language into another.
All these specific names reflect simply the specific local needs of his multifarious worshipers. In the
4th century AD, Ausonius explicitly treats this prominent god of several nations as the same deity under
different votive names:
“Ogygia me Bacchum vocat
Macedon Dion gloriam
Osirin Egyptus putat
Mysi Panacem nominant;
Dionyson Indi existimant285

281
http://www.makedonski.info/search/ozaren
282
Based on „Dio‟ - god, and „Ni-Se‟ or „Ni-e-se‟ - „to-us everything‟ or „to-us is everything‟ in plain
Macedonian. Other proposed evidence of this syncretism is found by linguists on the clay tablets
from the Mycenaean period in the name Di-wo-ny-so, formed from the IE element Diwo - „Giant,
Titan‟ (as it is known Dionis was the descendent of Titans) and noun Nyso - from „Nysa‟, the holy
mountain (today Mt. Nidţe in Macedonia) where, according to the legend, the Nysiades nursed the
child Dionis.
283
Also known in Latin as “Dioscuri” – from “Dio” -„god‟ and “scure” - „axe‟ (the sacred Labris
double-axe); again Latin-corrupted form of the Macedonian noun “Sekira” - „axe‟:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sekira
284
From Atta – „father‟.
285
Under “Indi” here are meant the Aryans from Indian subcontinent. Note the sameness of the
Macedonic “Dion” and Aryan “Dionyson” (where the suffix “-yson” is nothing else but a typical
Latin transliteration add).

166
 Romana Sacra Liberum,
Arabica Gens Adoneum.”

“Ireland calls me Bacchus

Macedon prize me Dion
Egypt thinks me Osiris
Mysians name me Pan;
Indi consider me Dionyson
Roman Sacra call me Liber
Arabian race, Adonis286.”

The Rhodian oracle declares Atys or Attis to be Adon-is , Bacch-us, and/or Dionis-us: “Magnum Atten
placate Deum qui castus Adonis Evius est, Largitor Opum, pulcher Dionisus.” Of all of the names of
Dionis however the history of Pseudanor epithet was certainly much older.
The Macedonian historian Polyaenus relates an aetiological myth:
"In the reign of Argaeus, the Illyrian Taulantii under Galaurus invaded Macedonia. Argaeus, whose
force was very small, directed the Macedonian virgins (parthenoi), as the enemy advanced, to show
themselves from mount Erevoia (Ἐξέβνηα). They accordingly did so; and in a numerous body they

286
Here Ausonius clearly underlines the African origin of the Semitic Danaans (i.e. “Greex”), who
adopted Adonis/Dionis from the Barb-Aryans.

167
poured down , covered by wreaths, and brandishing their thyrsi instead of spears. Galaurus, intimidated
by the numbers of those, whom instead of women he supposed to be men, sounded a retreat; whereupon
the Taulantii, throwing away their weapons, and whatever else might retard their escape, abandoned
themselves to a precipitate flight. Argaeus, having thus obtained a victory without the hazard of a battle,
erected a temple to Dionis Pseudanor; and ordered the priestesses of the god, who were before
called Klοdones by the Macedonians, to ever afterwards be distinguished by the title of Mimallones. "
Here below is the incredibly long list of some of the numerous epithets and names of the divine Leivino
Dionis:
Αγπιοο (Agrio) – Aggressive (beastly); metathesis from PIE root *ghwer-287, in today plain Macedonian:
"Zwer" - „beast‟.288 Related also to Macedonian verb “Gredi” – „comes (towaed us/me)‟, thus corrupted
into Latin: aggredi, hence aggressio(n) too.
Αγνοο (Agno) – Inocuous (i.e. „Lambish‟); in today plain Macedonian: "Yagne" - „lamb‟.289
Αιγοβολοο (Aigovolo) – Capricorn-furred; in today plain Macedonian: "Kozovlaknest".290
Αιζςμνηηηο (Aisumniti) – Insane; in today plain SC Macedonian: "Sumanut/Smuten/Smeten".291
Ακπαηοθοποο (Akratoforo) – Errupting; from “Krater” in today plain Macedonian.292
Ακηαιοο (Aktaio) – Funny; in today plain Macedonian: "Akt".
Αναξ (Anax) –
Ανθιοο (Anthio) – Flowery; “Anto” personal name in plain Macedonian.
Ανθπωποππαιζηηο (Anthroporaisti) – Human-increasingly; “Rasti” - „grows‟ in today plain
Macedonian.293
Αππηηοο (Areto) – Unsaid; "Odrekov" - 'unsaid' in today Macedonian.
Απζενοθηλςο (Arsenothily) – Golden;
Αςξηηηο (Auxete) – Increased;
Βαζζαπεςο (Vasareu) – Crazy;
Βοηπςοθοποο (Votriforo) – Windhole; in today plain Macedonian: “Vetrovit ” - „windy‟.294
Βπιζεςο (Vrisey) – Screaming; in today plain Macedonian: "Vriska".295
Βπωμιοο (Vromio) – Brooming; in today plain Macedonian: "Vroom" [onomatopoeic].
Γαζςλλιοο (Dasilio) – Forestal;
Γενδπιηηο (Dendrite) – Wooden; in today plain Macedonian: "Drven".296
Γικεπωηοο (Dikeroto) – Righteous; "Direkten" in today Macedonian.
Γιθςηο (Difii) – Wild; "Divii" in today Macedonian.297
Γιθςπαμβοο (Dithiramvo) – Dithyramb;
Γιονεςο (Dioney) – Dionis; same "Dionis" in today Macedonian;

287
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=*ghwer-
288
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D1%95ver
289
http://www.makedonski.info/search/jagne
290
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vlaknest
291
http://www.makedonski.info/search/smuten - http://www.makedonski.info/search/smeten
292
http://www.makedonski.info/search/krater , related to “Krt” - „mole‟:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/krt#%D0%BA%D1%80%D1%82/%D0%BC
293
http://www.makedonski.info/search/rasti
294
http://www.makedonski.info/search/veter
295
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vriska
296
http://www.makedonski.info/search/drven
297
http://www.makedonski.info/search/divi

168
Γπςθοποο (Dreforo) – Вriliant;
Γςαλοο (Dyalos) – Spiritual;
Διπαθιωηηο (Eirafiote) – Fixed;
Δλεςθεπεςο (Eleftero) – Free;
Δνδενδποο (Endendro) – In the woods;
Δπιθιοο (Erifio) –
Δςανθηο (Euante) –
Δςβοςλεςο (Euvoeleu) –
Δςειοο (Eueio) – Happy; "Ei-ei" in today Macedonian;
Φςθλςνο (Fufluns) – Etruscan name of Dionis;
Εαγπεςο (Zagreu) – Heaten; “Zagrei” in plain Macedonian;298
Θοςλλοθοποο (Thouloforo) –
Θπιαμβοο (Thriamvo) – Triumphant; "Trima-Vo" - 'triple great" in today Macedonian;299
Θςπζοθοποο (Thirsoforo) – Portable;
Ηακσοο (Iakho) – Strong; "Yako" in today Macedonian.300
Ηαηποο (Iatro, hence “Mitra” too) – Physician; plain antonym of the Macedonian “Otrov” - „poison‟
(meant as drug/cure).301 Equally reversed meaning we find for “Poison” which descends from the Latin
Potio(n-) – „potion‟, related to the verb “Potare” – „to drink.‟
Ηζοδαιηηο (Isodaite) – Equal; "Isto-dava" - 'equally-gives' in today plain Macedonian.302
Καθαπζιοο (Katarsio) – Purging; Catharsic; in today plain Macedonian “R‟kanye” - „snoring‟, from the
verb “R‟ka” [onomatopoeic vernacular];303
Κιζζοβπςοο (Kisovrio) – Ivy-wreathed;
Κιζζοκομηο (Kissokome) – Ivy-haired;
Κιζζοο (Kisso) – Ivvy;
Κοπςμβοθοποο (Korumvoro) – Carrier;
Κπηζιοο (Kresio) – Ordained; “Krasi ” in plain Macedonian;304
Κπςθιοο (Krufio) – Stealthy; "Krie" - 'hides' in today Macedonian.305 See also Latin “Apocryph” and/or
“Crypt”.
Λαμπηεποο (Lamptero) – Brilliant; "Lamba" - 'lamp' in today Macedonian; "Lambe" - personal name.
Λειβηνοο (Leivino) – Pours wine; "Lei-vino" in today Macedonian;306
Ληναιοο (Linaio) – Linen; “Len” in plain Macedonian;
Λικνηηηο (Liknete) – Beautiful; "Ličen" in today Macedonian;307
Λιμναιοο (Limnaio) – Lemnian;
Λςαιοο (Luaio) – Lion‟s; “Lavyi” in today plain Macedonian;
Λςζιοο (Lusio) – Freak; “Luckast” in today plain Macedonian;
298
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zagrej
299
http://www.makedonski.info/search/trima
300
http://www.makedonski.info/search/jako#%D1%98%D0%B0%D0%BA/%D0%BF%D1%80%D0
%B8%D0%B4
301
http://www.makedonski.info/search/otrov
302
http://www.makedonski.info/search/isto
303
http://www.makedonski.info/search/rka
304
http://www.makedonski.info/search/krasi#%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B8/%D
305
http://www.makedonski.info/search/krie
306
http://www.makedonski.info/search/lee, http://www.makedonski.info/search/vino
307
http://www.makedonski.info/search/liчen

169
Μαινομενοο (Mainomeno) – Furious;
Μανικοο (Maniko) – Maniac;
Μανηηο (Manti) – Fortune teller; “Mantii” in plain Macedonian. Probably related to „Mantri‟ as well.
Μειλισιοο (Melihio) – Bland; in today plain Macedonian “Mleko” - „milk‟;308
Μελαναιγηο (Melanaige) – Melange; “Melen” in today plain Macedonian;309
Μελπομενοο (Melpomeno) – "To celebrate with dance and song";
Νςκηηλιοο (Nuktelio) – Nightly; “Noken” in today plain Macedonin;
Νςκηιθαηο (Nuktifae) – Night-singer; “Nokipee” in today plain Macedonian “Noke-pei” (i.e. „Slavej‟);
Νςκηιπολοο – Night-bird; in today plain Macedonian “Nokno-pile”;310
Ομαδιοο (Omadio) – Grouppie;
Οπθοο (Ortho) – Correct, just;
Πελαγιοο (Pelagio) – Pelasgic;
Πλοςηοδοηηο (Plutodoted) – Wealthy; “Polno-dade” - „fully-gifted‟ in plain Macedonian, hence
anglicized “Plenty” too;
Πολςειδηο (Polyeide) – Manifold;
Πολςγηθηο (Polygete) – Multiplied;
Πολςμοπθοο (Polymorfo) – Multiform;
Πολςονομοο (Polyonomo) – Manynamed;
Πολςπαπθενοο (Polypartheno) – Many times reborn; from “Porod” - „birth‟ in plain Macedonian.
Πποηπςγαιοο (Protrugaio) – Marrymaking;
Ππωηογονοο (Protogono) – Hermaphrodite;
Πζεβδανοπ (Psevdanor) – False Gift311; “Psevdo-dar” in today plain Macedonian.312
Πςπιγενηο (Purigene) – Igneous;
Σκηπηποςσοςο (Skeptrouhou) – Sculptured; “Skepar” - „adze‟ in today plain Macedonian.313
Σηαθςλοο (Stafilo) – Bunch of grapes;
Σςκηηηο (Sukiti) – Figgy; “Smokvin” in today plain Macedonian.314
Σθαλαιοηηο (Sfalaioti) – Capital;
Σωηηπ (Sotir) – Pious; “Sotir” a personal name in today plain Macedonian;
Ταςποκεπωο (Taurokero) – Bull-horned;
Ταςποθαγοο (Taurofago) – Bull-eater;
Ταςπωποο (Tauropo) – Bull-horned;
Τελεηαπσηο (Teletarhi) – Master of the ceremony;
Τπιγονοο (Trigono) – Harp player ("Trigon" - an ancient triangular lyre or harp); "Triagolnik" in today
plain Macedonian;315
Υγιαηηο (Ugiate) – Saint;
Φαπιδοηηο (Haridoti) – Graceful;

308
http://www.makedonski.info/search/mleko
309
http://www.makedonski.info/search/melen
310
http://www.makedonski.info/search/noќno, http://www.makedonski.info/search/pile
311
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudanor
312
http://www.makedonski.info/search/dar
313
http://www.makedonski.info/search/skepar
314
http://www.makedonski.info/search/smokva
315
http://www.makedonski.info/search/triagolnik

170
Φοπεςηηο (Horeute) – Dancer; in today plain Macedonian "Oro" - a popular dance316, and “Ita” -
„hurries‟317
Φθονιοο (Hthonio) – Chthonic;
Χιλαμ (Psilax) – Bold (i.e.„Wise‟); In today plain Macedonian "Kelav" - „bold‟; “Wise” because
someones high forehead, or the boldness among elders, is considered a sign of inteligence/experience;
Ψμηζηηο (Omeste) – Domestic; “Doma” - „home‟ in today plain Macedonian; etc.

It is noted that Macedonians worshiped Leivino Dionis long before the immigrant Semitic Danaans (so
called “Greex”318) ever came from Africa. It was also noted that these Semitic immigrants were
punished with impotence for dishonouring the god‟s cult in Athens.319
In Lower (Aegean) Macedonia already in the second half of the second millennium BCE a famous
sanctuary dedicated to his cult was known in the city of Kissos (in the vicinity of Therma/Thessaloniki),
at the foot of the homonymous mountain. That is seven (7) centuries before the appearance of the
Semitic “Greex” in Peloponnesus.
Leivino Dionis birthday was celebrated on 25 of December (but only on every third year!)320, same
like the birthday of Adonis, as the Hittite-Phrygian-Zoroastrian gods Attis and Mitra, and same as the
birthday of Sol Invictus, the sun-god of later Roman empire, and at the end, same like the birthday of his
last avatar Jesus Christ. The Mithraic worship of later antiquity, which symbolized the passage of the
Sun into Taurus by the figure of a sacred bull slain by a man, wasn‟t the last survival of a faith that had
once penetrated deeply into the minds of the people. This perpetuated astrological animistic rite
persisted for thousands of years, and was continuously transmitted in different sanctuaries and temples
of the prehistoric, ancient, medieval and modern world. The winter solstice once celebrated as Leivino
Dionis, Adonis, Attis, and Mitra‟s birthday is still here, and the 25 of December is still celebrated in

316
http://www.makedonski.info/search/oro
317
http://www.makedonski.info/search/ita
318
Why parenthesis? Because of the fabricated ethnogenesis of the so-called “ancient Greex” which
is misleadingly based on the composition of the participants in the Trojan War, such as the
Dannans, Achaeans, Argaeads etc., who were mentioned by Homer in his “Iliad”. The politically
biased modern historiography misrepresents them as “Greex” or “Hellenic people”, but this is a
blatant forgery – according to all the ancient sources “Hellenes” did not colonize the
Peloponnesus until 80 years after the Trojan War.
319
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Dionysus
320
As reported by Evripid (Lat. Euripides) in his treatise “Bachanae”.

171
modern times, but now by the Christians as the birthday of Leivino Dionis‟s last-fashioned avatar -
„Jesus Christ.‟ On the reproach that the Christians began to celebrate the day of the sun just like pagans,
Saint Augustine (ex-pagan himself, and practicant of Manichaeism and Neo-Platonism) laconically
replied: “We observe it not as pagans because of the Sun, but because of the one who created the Sun.”

Festivals of Dionisiac mysteries in Kissos were also known because of the abundance of ivy (Koine:
κισσορ) in that region. Ivy was the sacred plant of Dionis, and accordingly, the participants in these
archaic Dionisiac festivities were famous as the Kissophoros (Koine: κισσουόπορ) - „ivy-bearers‟. They
were also known in other places as Kurvantes or Koryvantes, the Curetes, and Idaean Dactyli, and are

said by many persons to be the same as the Caveiri/Cabeiri, the Great Gods worshipped in Samothrace.
Although, due to their profound mystery veil, no one is able to explain who these Caveiri/Cabeiri were.
Accordingly, the names by which mysteries of these mystic festivals were designated in Macedonia are
known as Mysteria, Teletai, Orgia (Orgy), Peripetia, etc. One of this mysteries, the festival Agrionia,
was celebrated at Orchomena, in Boeotia, in honor of Leivino Dionis, surnamed Agrion. A human being
used originally to be sacrificed at this ancient festival, but this sacrifice seems to have been avoided in
later times. One instance, however, occurred in the days of Plutarch. Nevertheless, the main festivals of
Leivino Dionis were five in number: the Rural or Lesser Dionisia, the Lenaea (Linaia), the Anthesteria,
the „Great Dionisia‟, and the quinquennial “Brauronia”. The season of the year sacred to Dionis was
winter, during the months nearest to the shortest day; and the Dionisiac festivals were accordingly

172
celebrated in the months of Audonaios or Poseideon (i.e. December), Peritios/Gamelion (i.e. January),
Dystros/Anthesterion (i.e. February), and Xantikos/Elafebolion (i.e. March).
The 1st festival, Rural or Lesser Dionisia, a vintage festival, was celebrated in the various districts of
Macedonia in the month of Audonaios/Poseideon (today December, i.e. the 10th month), hence one of
the Leivino Dionis‟s epithets was Adonai, like the month, and this festival was under the
superintendence of the several local magistrates, the Demarchs. This was doubtless the most ancient
festival of all, and was held with the highest degree of merriment and freedom; even slaves enjoyed full
freedom during its celebration, and their boisterous shouts on the occasion were almost intolerable. It is
here that we have to seek for the origin of „comedy‟, in the jests and the scurrilous abuse with which the
peasants assailed the bystanders from a wagon in which they rode about. The Leivino Dionisia in the
Peiraeus, as well as those of the other districts in Attica, belonged to the Rural Lesser Dionisia. It is still
celebrated in today Macedonia under the name of „Badnik‟ and/or „Vasilitsa‟, although the dates are not
in the 10th month of December anymore, but now they‟re falling in the first half of January, due to the
delay accumulated by use of different calendars in the last 2000 years.321
The 2nd festival, the Lenaea (from Linos, the winepress, from which also the 11th month of Gamelion
was named: from the verb “ga-meli” - „it-squeezes/mashes‟ in plain Macedonian322; thus the month
when the grapes are pressed for wine; which in corrupted Ionian was called Lenaeon, an obvious
metathesis of the Macedonic word “Nalean” - „poured-drunk‟ in plain Macedonian)323, was celebrated in
the month of Peritios/Gamelion (January, the 11th month). The most noteworthy evidence of
winemaking early attempts is from the 7-6th millennium BCE, since excavations of archaeological sites

of that era found remnants of grape cultivation in Macedonia. We can point to some verbal forms,
characteristic to the territory of the ancient Aegean and Asia Minor. The word “vino/вино” - „wine‟ in
321
Just the switch from Julian to Gregorian calendar in 1582 added 10 days of difference. Then
after, in 1752, more days were added and the New Year's Day was changed from March 25 to
January 1, and dates using the new calendar were designated „New Style.‟
322
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-angliski/%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5*
323
http://www.makedonski.info/search/nalean

173
all Macedonic languages, is similar to Mycenaean wo-i-no, Pylosian dialect we-je-we, Latin vinum,
Ugaritic yēna, Hittite wi--ya-na-a/wa-ā-na-as, Luwian wintar/winiyanda, and Cretan dialect genitive
foino. The clear Macedonic etymology is rather simple and descriptive: “Vieno”[adj.] - „bended,
looped‟, from the root word “Vie”[verb] - „twists, bends‟324, as the grapevine plant actually does. Linear
B tablets from Pylos revealed the word “Wo-no-wa-ti-si” – „wine area‟. In the Homeric period as well as
in Middle Ages, the archaic Macedonic word “Medovina” (i.e. „Honey-wine‟)325, the synonym for Proto-
Indo-European *médʰu- (honey; mead), which stands for strong intoxicating drink made from a mixture
of honey and wine (i.e. „Med‟ and „Vino‟ in plain Macedonian), product of honey/wine fermentation - or
It was made this way because in the beginning honey drink and grape wine were inseparable until the
human selection of wild grapes led to cultivation of varieties that produced higher sugar content,
requiring no additional ingredients to create higher alcohol concentration in the fermented beverage. The
place of its celebration was the ancient temple of Dionis Limnaeus (from „Limny‟, as the district was
originally a swamp). This temple was called the Lenaeon. The Lenaea were celebrated with a procession
and scenic contests in tragedy and comedy. The procession probably went to the Lenaeon temple, where
a goat was sacrificed (Tragos, whence the chorus and tragedy which arose out of it were called Tragikos
Horos, and Tragodia), and a chorus standing around the altar sang the dithyrambic ode to the god. As
the dithyramb was the element out of which, by the introduction of an actor, tragedy arose [CHORUS],
it is natural that, in the scenic contests of this festival, tragedy should have preceded comedy. The poet
who wished his play to be brought out at the Lenaea applied to the second archon, who had the
superintendence of this festival, and who gave him a chorus if the piece was thought to deserve it.

The 3rd festival, the Anthesteria, was celebrated on the llth, 12th, and 13th days of the 12th month of
Dystros/Anthesterion (today February). It was the Festival of Flowers in honor of Leivino Dionis as the
spring god. The second archon likewise superintended the celebration of the Anthesteria, and distributed
the prizes among the victors in the various games which were carried on during the season. The first day
was called Pithoigia, the second, Koes and the third, Kutroi, The 1st day derived its name from the
opening of the casks to taste the wine of the preceding year; the 2nd from kous, the cup, and seems to
have been the day devoted to drinking. The third day had its name from Kutros, a pot, as on this day
persons offered pots with seeds, or cooked vegetables, as a sacrifice to Leivino Dionis and chthonic

324
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vie
325
http://www.makedonski.info/search/medovina

174
Hermes. It is uncertain whether dramas were performed at the Anthesteria; but it is supposed that
comedies were represented, and that tragedies which were to be brought out at the great Leivino
Dionisia were perhaps rehearsed at the Anthesteria. The mysteries connected with the celebration of the
Anthesteria were held at night.
The 4th festival, the Great Dionisia, was celebrated about the 1st of the month of the new year,
Elaphebolion (March), but we do not know whether they lasted more than one day or not. The order in
which the solemnities took place was as follows: the great public procession, the chorus of boys, the
comus [CHORUS], comedy, and, lastly, tragedy. Of the dramas which were performed at the Great
Dionisia, the tragedies at least were generally new pieces; repetitions do not, however, seem to have
been excluded from any Dionisiac festival. The first archon had the superintendence, and gave the
chorus to the dramatic poet who wished to bring out his piece at this festival. The prize awarded to the
dramatist for the best play consisted of a crown, and his name was proclaimed in the theatre of Leivino
Dionis. As the great Dionisia was celebrated at the beginning of spring, when the trading season was re-
opened, cities were not only visited by numbers of country people, but also by strangers from all parts of
Aegean, and the various amusements and exhibitions on this occasion were not unlike those of a modern
fair.

The 5th festival, „Brauronia‟ was a quinquennial festival (held every 50 years) which was celebrated by
men and dissolute women at Brauron, in honor of Leivino Dionis. Brimming with virility he was the
god most favored by women. Maybe the German word for woman, “Frau” originates from this
theonym.
According to Heisychius, Leivino Dionis was the son of Dyaus Pitar/Dion and Aithyia/Aitria. Most
probably his name is the corrupted form of Macedonian phrase „the son of Dion‟ i.e. “Dion-sin” in plain
Macedonian, thus erroneously transliterated as “Dionysin” and further corrupted in Latin as “Dionysus”.
According to other sources he was the son of Kadmo and Harmonia. In later traditions he is syncretized
with Amon-Zevs, Adonis, Ilios and Osiris-Serapis, and also Deuspater (i.e. Jupiter) or Liber Pater to the
Romans. We find him described in the Orphic hymn:

175
 ”Haste, blest Dionis, of the thunderbolt
Engendered, Bassarus or Bacchus called,
Bull-visaged, king of many names and powers.”

The animal-totem of Bull was the most visible symbol of this multitude-form solar deity. Leivino
Dionis himself was also imagined to be the bull-horned. The bull is a symbol of cosmogony, of the high
god, the paradise mountain, primordial reality and unity. He is also known as the symbol of Uran(us),
the heavenly supreme god-creator of Indo-Mediterranean areal. The same bull-god that was celebrated
in the prehistoric sanctuary of Čatal Hüyük (Asia Minor) was Apis of Egypt, and much later the Bull
Osiris-Serapis. It has the characteristic trinitarian nature: three heads or even three bodies united to one.
This trinity spreads across all the ancient world and was preserved throughout later Macedonic (so-
called „Slavic‟) mythology as Triglav and/or Svyatovid. The supreme creator god astrologically has
triple animistic nature as well - “became a lion in the lion's skin of Leo the lion, as he became a ram in
Aries, or a bull in Taurus.”

176
 Above: Bel Merodach, the divine bull-god of Babylon

Bel Merodach (i.e. Dze or Jupiter) as supreme god of Mesopotamia was also the divine bull with triple
nature. In Egypt, as the new moon (the god Khensu at Thebes) he is likened to a mighty, or fiery bull, and
as the full moon he is said to resemble an emasculated bull. As the "Bull of his mother" (Isis) he was
identified with Amsu-Ra, and was regarded as the brother of the Bull of Osiris. Later the sacred bull in
Egypt appears also as Montu, and Api (Lat. Apis).

177
The stars are herds of cattle, Dawn‟s rays are cows, or steers drawing her car, the rain-clouds are cows,
and so on. As for Heaven and Earth, Dze/Dyaus and Mō (Ma) respectively, they too are occasionally
represented as a bull and cow respectively. Balaat, Cybele, Io, Inana, Ishtar, Astarte, Isis-Hathor, Nut,
etc. along with other Mother Goddesses had also the animistic and chthonic aspects of celestial cow, and
snake or vulture. In Egypt (where the vulture is also a hieroglyph-symbol of the vocal „A‟) it was the
animal totem of the Great Mother Goddess Nekhbet.

Left: the vulture goddess Nekhbet, Mother of mothers of Upper Egypt

Nonetheless, despite the passing of the millenniums, the prehistoric cult of bull-god is still preserved
and celebrated in Macedonia on 24 February as “Mukovden” - the day of the bulls; as well as in Spain,
where the most primitive ceremonial bull-fighting, namely the famous “Corrida”, is still practiced even
today in the 21st century. Its traces today are still stubbornly present in the Macedonian traditions.
And, although the rite of slaying the sacred bull/calf is abandoned in modern religions and society,
the memory of it is well preserved until today within the Macedonian popular song “Kolede”, still sang
in today modern Republic of Macedonia, but now as а “carol song” under Christmas.326 Amazingly for
the 21st century, this innocent-looking ritual song discovers the story of the calf that begs for mercy
when is about to be slain. And weirdly enough, it was adopted and camouflaged as a carol song by the
very institution that eliminated all the pagan traditions from religion - the church. But, deep inside
conceals the annual sacrifice (of Orpheus/Dionis/Attis…) and solemnization of the death (and
resurrection of the same) in spring.
Besides these public traditions and rites, their worship is known to have comprised certain secret or
mystic ceremonies, which probably aimed at brin ging the worshipper and especially the novice, into
closer communication with his god. The evidence as to the nature of these Orphic/Dionisiac mysteries
and the date of their celebration is unfortunately very scanty, but they seem to have included a
sacramental meal and a baptism of blood, i.e. Taurobolium and Criobolium in the Fossa Sanguinis („Pit

326
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6smq-0tZtio

178
of Blood‟). Being that the Taurobolium and Criobolium oringinate from Asia Minor, the Phrygian
peoples in Galatian city of Pessinus abstained from the consumption or association with pork for their
mythology concerning Attis stated he was killed by a boar. Then after this custom for no apparent
reason was adopted by the later Semitic tribes.
In the sacrament the novice became a partaker of the mysteries by eating out of a drum and drinking
out of a cymbal, two instruments of music which figured prominently in the thrilling orchestra of
Orpheic/Dionisiac festivals. The feast which accompanied the mourning for the dead god may perhaps
have been designed to prepare the body of the initiated for the reception of the blessed sacrament by
purging it of all that could defile by contact the sacred elements? In the baptism the devotee, crowned
with gold and wreathed with fillets, descended into a pit, the mouth of which was covered with a
wooden grating. A bull, adorned with garlands of flowers, its forehead glittering with gold leaf, was
then driven onto the grating and there stabbed to death with a consecrated spear. Its hot reeking blood
poured in torrents through the apertures, and was received with devout eagerness by the worshipper on
every part of his person and garments, till he emerged from the pit, drenched, dripping, and scarlet from
head to foot, to receive the homage, nay the adoration, of his fellows as one who had been born again to
eternal life and had washed away his sins in the blood of the bull. For some time afterwards the fiction
of a new birth was kept up by dieting him on milk like a new-born babe. The regeneration of the
worshipper took place at the same time as the regeneration of his god, namely at the vernal equinox. At
Rome the new birth and the remission of sins by the shedding of bull‟s blood appear to have been
carried out above all at the Kapishte-sanctuary of the Phrygian goddess on the Vatican Hill, at or near
the spot where the great basilica of St. Peter‟s now stands; for many inscriptions relating to the rites
were found when the church was being enlarged in 1608 or 1609. From the Vatican as a centre this
barbarous system of superstition seems to have spread to other parts of Europe. Inscriptions found in
Gaul and Germany prove that provincial Kapishte-sanctuaries modelled their ritual on that of the
Vatican. From the same source we learn that the testicles as well as the blood of the bull played an
important part in the ceremonies. Probably they were regarded as a powerful aphrodisiac that helps the
fertility and hasten the new birth.

179
180
181
Macedon or Makedon – starting with the cult of Leivino Dionis and his mythical son Macedon327,
who lived in the 13th century BCE, these presumably real persons 328 and ancestral kings that became
Macedonic gods, laid the foundations of that first great European state and empire, Macedonia. In „The
Glory of Generositie‟ by Sir John Ferne, London 1586, about the CoA of Makedon we read:
“Macedonus king of Emathya, beareth sable, a Wolfe, rampaunt argent. Me thinkes, his Arms be fet
uppon a Targe or Buckler.”
The same testimony of Leivino Dionis/Osiris/Serapis son, and his wolf-insignia, is found in Diodor
Siculus (90-21 BCE): “18.1 Osiris was not alone in his campaign, he was accompanied by his two sons
Anubis and Macedon, (once again - the holy trinity!) which differed in their guts. Both wore the most
remarkable military symbols taken from some animals whose nature is like the courage of the people
wearing it - Dog for Anubis and Macedon who wore front parts (the paws) of a Wolf. For this reason,
these two animals were also celebrated among the Egyptians.” And accordingly, the ancient cult of
Wolves is still preserved and celebrated in Macedonia on 24 November, as “Wolf festivity”.

Above: Wolf, the animal totem of Macedon, prince of Emathia / Æmatia (the most archaic known
name of Macedonia before him)

327
According to later genealogy brought to us by Hesiodus in Eoiae or Catalogue of Women, Thyia
was the daughter of Deucalion and Pyrrha and mother of Magnes and Makednos by Ammon-
Zeus.
328
St. Augustin and St. Cyprian mention a letter supposed to have been written by Alexander the
Great, from Egypt, to his mother Olympia. In this epistle the emperor of Macedon communicates
a most important discovery, made to him by an Egyptian hierophant. The secret was, that not only
the demigods, but also the gods of the greater families were in reality only mortal men. St.
Augustin adds that the priest, fearing lest the secret which he had communicated should be
divulged, begged Alexander to request his mother Olympia to burn his letter as soon as she had
read it.

182
The oldest Sanskrit writings speak of the Ancient Cushite people, calling the country they inhabit Cusha
Dwipa, the country of the Cush people. They called Europe Varaha Dwipa. In very ancient times there
was a ruler, long before Kephas, called Leivino Dionis, the god of wine, called in India Bacchus. At the
time he lived he had dominion over upper Egypt; lower Egypt was an arm of the Mediterranean, and its
lands were low and swampy. He is called, in Egyptian mythology, Osiris, and was deified. There are
legends of him in Asia Minor and in Macedonian Peninsula. Thymates of Asia Minor wrote a history of
Leivino Dionis, which is mentioned by Diodorus Siculus, written prior to the Ionian settlements. The
history of Leivino Dionis was given in a poem entitled „Phrygia‟.
It was commented by Diodorus Siculus that Thymates took pains to secure the most accurate
information relative to Leivino Dionis when he visited Mt. Nysa, where Leivino Dionis was born.
Auman, married Rhea, sister of Cronus, king of Italy, Sicily and part of northern Africa. He became
enamored of the maiden, Amalthea, and Leivino Dionis was born to them. Rhea separated from Auman
thereupon, and was married to Cronus. Cronus made war on Auman, and marched with an army against
Nysa. Young Leivino Dionis took the field against him, and seated Dze (Lat. Zeus), his son, on the
throne which had been occupied by Cronus. Leivino Dionis succeeded his father as ruler at Nysa, and
became the greatest of the sovereigns in ancient times. He extended his dominions over all neighboring
lands, made conquest of India, where he spent three years and built the Indian city of Nysa. He
afterwards went to Egypt, where he ruled the land.

The Egyptian, Macedonian, and Roman legends made Leivino Dionis contemporaneous with Cronus
and Saturn. Cronus is said to have introduced agriculture, social life and manners to Italy. His reign was
filled with plenty, the Golden Age of Italy. He died and was deified. Fresnal in his journal „Asiatiqui‟
identifies Leivino Dionis with the Hamitic Dhou Nerwas and Afrikas.
Wilford supports the claim that Leivino Dionis is the person referred to in Sanskrit as Deva
Nahusha, long prior to the time of the Aryan invasion of India. When Deva Nahusha had conquered the
world he visited Africa and the south of Egypt, the abode of his grandfather Arti. Because the place was
going to decay, he directed his engineer, Vivasa Carma, to rebuild the city and call it Deva Nahusha
Nagara. Wilford claims that these references are important, as they are recollections of an earlier period.
In the olden writings of Indian traditions, Leivino Dionis is held to be the founder of the 1st
monarchy in India; when he left India he established on the throne Spartemtas, one of the priests, who
reigned 53 years, and was succeeded by his son, Budzas. Budzas reigned 20 years, and was succeeded
by Cravedvas. This dynasty continued to flourish in regular lineal descent many generations, to time of
Alexandria.
Leivino Dionis cult was so profoundly practiced in Macedonia that his worshipers were even called
Maketai (because they were Makedones of Makedons). In fact, in Indo-European languages exists base
PIE root word *Magh/Makh- “tall, big”, from which came the modern Macedonic words like „Moќ‟-
power, strength, „Moќen‟ - powerfull, „Moga‟ - “I might/can” (i.e. „capable‟), and „M‟rga‟ - a “big

183
powerful wilderbeast”. Leivino Dionis is followed by pair of panthers or lions (animistic, but trinity
again), or even lynx‟s. He is also the solar god of life, in the form of the divine bull or calf „Bougenæs‟.
Nimrod, the mighty hunter, is seen attacking this same bull with a club in the sign of the constellation of
Taurus. Gilgameš and Irakle (lat. Hercules) did the same. This was the winter bull, which symbolically
dies with the sun. Primordial Zagreus, was murdered by the Titans and torn in pieces, but he still lives in
a thousand forms, chiefly in the shape of a bull.329 Apis was the sacred bull of Memphis – the soul of
Osiris-Serapis passed after death into the body of Apis, and as often as this sacred bull died his soul
passed into the body of his successor.
According to Erodot (Lat. Herodotus): “Osiris” was the Egyptian Dionis, and the house of
Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies claimed their descent from Leivino Dionis. Evripid (Lat. Euripides)
introduces a chorus of Bachantes, inviting Bacchus to appear in the form of a bull, a dragon or a lion.
The sun god when anthropomorphized had a representation of a man-bull, and the Leivino Dionis, Osiris
and Baal have bull horns upon their heads. This bull was the symbol of the sun, the great male
generative principle, as the moon or the earth were symbols of the great female fertility principle
represented by cow or a horse. The divine bulls were adored by the Sumerians and bull gods existed
with the Hittites (Kitti/Khati). Sculptures found at the palace of Euyuk in North-Western Cappadocia
prove that the Hittites worshipped the bull and sacrificed rams to it.

Left: Winged Solar Disc with Bull horns and snakes

The most famous holy places, where the chthonic Dionisiac mysteries and rituals were practiced, were in
the holy Macedonic cities of Dion (or Dium) and Dionisopol (Lat. Dionysopolis), which bear clear
Macedonic theonyms of this god. But also places like Thebes and the islands of Samothrace and Lemnos,
as well as one place also mentioned by Homer: Mt. Nysa330 (today Mt. Nidţe i.e. Vora/Bora) in the
highlands of Upper Macedonia. These were the „dwelling places‟ of the Great Gods of Dionisiac
Mysteries, who have been also identified as Cabiri/Kabiros/Kaviroi, and also known as
Demons/Daimones (various deities distinct from other divine groups as the Phrygian
Kurvantes/Korybantes, Trojan Dakttiloi, Danaan Olympians, etc.) and Dioscuri.
According to another ancient tradition Macedon was the son of Ananetsa331 (the real Egyptian name
of Leivino Dionis-Osiris or Busiris), whom Egyptians called Djed (also spelt Djedu) - a „Grandfather‟ in
plain Macedonian (see Mkd. „Dedo‟). Hesychius Alexandrinus in his „Lexicon‟ describes the Paionian
god „Dyalos‟ as the “Paionian Dionis” with these words: “the god of wine Dionis was called Dyalos by

329
This first Orphic Dionis was linked to the most archaic Dionysiac rites, in which small animals
were torn limb from limb and their flesh devoured raw, "not as an emanation of the classical
Dionysian religion, but rather as a migration or survival of the original prehistoric rite".
330
Nisa or Nyseion, a mythical mountain not just in one place; it exists actually in Macedonia
(today Mt.Nidţe).
331
Ananetsa and Ananetcha, i.e. Osiris and Isis, in plain Egyptian, as mentioned on the
Rosetta Stone middle text.

184
the Paionians”.
Apart from Leivino Dionis and Macedon, and as already mentioned above, the supreme goddess of
pure Macedonic origin was the primordial Great Mother Goddess Mō332 or Ma, of which, beside in
Cappadocia and Macedonia, there‟s no other testimonies to be found elsewhere. She was the goddess
with solar and military attributes (Solar crown, shield, armor, spear and sword). Except in Macedonia she
is totally absent in the other parts of Macedonian Peninsula, and in the later “Hellenistic” or Roman
pantheons there‟s no records whatsoever of a such divinity.333 Nonetheless, her worship was brutally and
persistently suppressed by the Roman invaders, who feared the rebirth of Macedonian empire and
reunification of the Macedonians under her aegis.

Nonetheless, cult of the Great Mother Goddess Mo or Ma reemerged elsewhere as Kibela

(Kybela/Cabiro//Kubaba/Cybele/Cybebe) that spread in Asia Minor, and again as „Demeter‟ (Dea-mater)
and. Her exquisite Macedonic origin is testified with numerous material artifacts across Macedonia, that
are resilient back to Neolithic and much far older, and they underline the different historical trajectory of
the Macedonian Culture from the southern Peloponnesus and the northern regions of the Lower Danube

332
Hence „Mother‟, „Mom‟; also as goddess Mokosh, a protector of women in later “Slavic“
pantheon, etc.
333
“The goddess Ma in Cappadocia and her cult in Macedonia” by Nade Proeva, 1983.

185
mainland in the Bronze Age.334 In later traditions she was equally interpreted as Estia (Lat. Hestia),
Phrygian Kibela or Demetra (Lat. Demeter and/or Magna Dea Mater), Ceres, etc.

334
"Why was there no „Dark Age‟ in Macedonia?" by Antonis Kotsonas, Solun Archaeological
Museum.

186
Samothrace, the Macedonian Jerusalem
Of antiquity

The Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the tiny, windswept island of Samothrace (i.e. „Lone-tract‟) in the
northeastern Aegean Sea, was home to one of the most important Pelasgo-Macedonic religious
communities of antiquity. It was the Macedonian „Jerusalem‟ of the ancient era, a focal point of the
chthonic gods of fertility. On pair with those of Eleusis and Dionisiac mysteries the ones of the island of
Samothrace were the most famous Mysteries in antiquity, though its pilgrims 335 were from the immediate
neighboring areas, mostly from Macedonia. Thus, beside Amfipoliteon, Lake Lychnidos, Belazora, and

Dion (see the map on p.164), Samothrace was also considered one of the most sacred places by the
Macedonian pilgrims, better known thanks to interest in the sanctuary from Macedonian and Ptolemaic
kings, who even invited famous sculptors like Scopas to work on it. Comparison with the Eleusian
Mysteries reveals that the Samothracians had modelled their rituals in similar fashion to those of Eleusia,
but showing again its Macedonic origin. Their true origin is revealed through their plain Macedonic
etymology. For example, the Eleusian Mysteries final act, i.e. the Initiation, was actually known as
“Epopteic”, since the ethnonymic final rite of initiation was called “Epopteia” (i.e. “Poetic epos”)336,
which is again slightly corrupted form of Macedonian “Epopeia”337 - an „Epic-poetry/singing‟, comprised
of two Macedonic syllables: “Ep” - „epic song of praise‟338 and “Peia” - „singing‟339. In fact Diodorus

335
Origin: Middle English : from Provençal “Pelegrin”, from Latin: Peregrinus - „foreign‟, from
“Per”- „through‟ and Macedonian “Granitsa” – „frontier‟:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/granica
336
From latinized „Ep(os)‟ - "a word; a tale, story; promise, prophecy, proverb; poetry in heroic
verse," from PIE *wekw- "to speak." https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=epic
337
http://www.makedonski.info/search/epopeja
338
http://www.makedonski.info/search/ep

187
Siculus (5.47.14–16), writing in the 1st century BCE, noted that the language of the „natives‟ was used in
the cult even in his day, nearly five centuries after the Semitic Danaans had arrived on the island. Even
today the Macedonians in occupied Aegean part of coastal Macedonia are called “Endopi” - „Natives‟ in
Demotiki (the 20th c. created language for the western colony “Grease”). Typically Macedonian ceramic
artifacts (with high handles attached to the rim)340, and 6th to 4th centuries BCE inscriptions on them,
have firmly demonstrated the continuous presence of Macedonians, which clearly implies that a dialect of
Macedonian language was indeed spoken on this “Lone-tract” island, as its Macedonian name confirms.

Above: Kantharos from the sanctuary of the Great Gods, Samothrace (in the center), and
drawings of two other vesels of Macedonian type from different regions of inland Macedonia

The increased movement of Macedonians southwards at the beginning of the Iron Age was a final stage of
the incessant conveyance which had been intermittently going on for ages. And Samothrace was right in
the middle between the Macedonian Peninsula and Asia Minor. Being an island of no great strategic and
habitative importance, have preserved it from becoming target for countless invaders and marauders, and
made it a perfect safe haven for religious practices. Its status as a holy place had tradition rooted in the
times before the Deluge, and mystery cults of the Great Gods of Macedon were practiced there from the
most archaic immemorial times.
The Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace rose to prominence in the late 4th and 3rd centuries
BCE, with the construction of splendid marble buildings, connected by the special allegiance of the
Macedonians, when the Sanctuary became an international center of the Macedonian royalty. Nonetheless,
indications of religious activity in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace dates back
at least to the 7th century BCE, but construction of the monumental buildings is dated in the 4th century
BCE, during the Macedonian Empire most magnificent period. This development is associated with the
munificence and the political interests of the royal house of Macedon, as early as the reign of Filip II (382-
336 BCE).341 Alexander‟s successors continued the tradition, and royal patronage of the sanctuary, which
attained its greatest glory in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE.342

339
http://www.makedonski.info/search/peja
340
“The 'wishbone' handle is a distinctive Macedonian product, and when it is found in association
with other pottery showing Macedonian affinities it may reasonably be taken as evidence of the
presence of Macedonians.” - Walter A. Hurtley “Prehistoric Macedonia, an archaeological
reconnaissance” pp.128-131
341
Filip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, met his future wife Olympia during their
initiation on the isle of Samothrace.
342
“The sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace, Greece: an extended marble provenance study”

188
Within the sanctuary the initiates immediately entered into a circular space about 9 meters in diameter, a
rotonda paved with flagstones and surrounded by a grandstand of five steps, which is nowadays called the
„Amphitheatral Circle‟. This installation, which is set in a natural hollow on the slope of a hill, was clearly
very important during the rituals, and it is one of the oldest permanent structures of the sanctuary; later it
was bypassed by the „Sacred Way‟, the road through the sanctuary. The area was framed by at least 22
statues of which the bases have been found, though not the statues themselves.

Above: Computer-generated reconstructon of one of the temples from the isle of Samothrace
with the 'rotonda' amphitheatre infront

Of all the unearthed buildings – the Hall of Choral Dancers, the Hieron, the Anaktoron and the Rotonda
of Arsinoe II – the Hieron is the best suited, as along its walls (the building is 40 metres long by 13 wide)
we find two long rows of marble benches supported by sculpted lion‟s legs343, just as there were benches
in the Telesterion of the Kabeirion in Lemnos and places to sit in the Eleusinian Telesterion.344 The main
cella ended in a curved apse at the end, which is a feature of geometric and archaic temple buildings, but
is rarely found later. This particular architecture suggests that there was an archaic forerunner of the
present building which, however, has not (yet?) been found. In the middle of the central space, somewhat
closer to the entrance than to the apse, was an eschara, an offering pit, for sacrifices. If this was indeed the
building used for the initiation, there must have been “two nude masculine images of bronze before the
doors”, as we are told by Varro, who visited Samothrace in 67 BCE. Given his profound interest in and

by Y. Maniatis, D. Tambakopoulos, E. Dotsika, B. D. Wescoat and D. Matsas.

343
Clear allegation to the throne of the Great Mother Goddess Mō/Axiero or Cabiro/Kibela/Cybele.
344
From Macedonian noun “Telo” - „body‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/telo, and “Stērion”
- „support‟.

189
the importance he attached to the Samothracian Mysteries, we may safely assume that Varro was also
initiated during his visit. The information about the images is confirmed by a Gnostic author, who is
quoted by the heresiologist Hippolytus in his “Refutation of all Heresies”:
“There stand two statues of naked men in the Anaktoron of the Samothracians, with both hands
stretched up toward heaven and their pudenda turned up, just as the statue of Hermes at Kyllene.
The aforesaid statues are images of the primal man and of the regenerated, spiritual man who is in
every respect consubstantial with that man.” (5.8.9, tr. Burkert)
The prominence of a ram‟s head on Samothracian coins suggests the sacrifice of a ram, which was the
preferred victim both for precivilised and underworld gods and in Mysteries, as earlier scholars have
already noted, and excavations in the Rotonda of Arsinoe have brought to light ram‟s horns. Beside its
rule as the preeminent sanctuary of the Pelasgo-Macedonic345 primordial pantheon, several other factors
also indicate the highest status of the island of Samothrace as religious holy place par excellence of the
Macedonic world, and especially Macedonian elite. Namely, Pelasgo-Macedonian settlers populated the
island at least as early as the 9th century BCE. That coincides precisely with the Macedonian Brygians

345
Erodot (II. 51) speaks of “Pelasgoi living in Samothrace”, where they performed the mysteries
called Samothracian.

190
time of migration to Asia Minor, where they became known as Phrygians. The island of Samothrace was
just their intermediary steppingstone between the coast of Macedonian Peninsula and Asia Minor coast.
As of the Early Iron Age settlements on the island show Macedonian mainland styles, and dwellings on
Mt.Sao(s) have distinct pre-“Greek” constructions and tribal names. And the Macedonic prefix “Samo-”
from the island‟s name Samothrace is genuine Macedonic prefix attested only in one other word, in the
noun “Samovila” – „a fairy‟ in plain Macedonian346, which is utterly explained further below (on page
144). Apart from the purely Macedonic name of the island, Mt. Sao(s) too resembles the name of
yetanother mountain in Macedonia - the Mt. Scard(us) today Mt. Šar – “colorful mountain” in plain
Macedonian (comparable to the anglicized „Shards‟).
There‟s also the first-hand most exceptional testimony, in the form of magnificent nearly 3 meters
tall statue of the Macedonic goddess of victory Nika (or Nike)347, commissioned by the Macedonians in
323 BCE, to celebrate their victory in the naval battle with the city-state of Athens in the Hellespont.348
The isle in subsequent centuries it became a pilgrimage place even for the Romans, who traced their
legendary ancestry to the island and the kin of Tyrsenoi (i.e. Rasena Lat. Etruscans). This very ancient
mystery cult lasted thousands of years, until the Roman emperor Theodosius II banned cult religions at
the end of 4th century AD.

346
http://www.makedonski.info/search/samovila
347
Found in 1863 by M. Champoiseau. Broken into several pieces, it was lying in a rectangular basin
located on a windy ridge that overlooked the Samothracian Sanctuary of the Great Gods. Today is in
the Louvre Museum, Paris.
348
Actually this battle ended in a draw, but ultimately led to the final decline of the Athenian navy and
its fast fall from the historic stage.

191
 Above: The statue of Nike from the island of Samothrace, 323 BCE. Today at Louvre Museum

Beside the praised Macedonian dedication represented by the marvelous statue of Nika, there are at least
four other important Macedonic tributes to the great gods of Samothrace. One is in the form of sanctuary
built by Filip III of Macedon and his nephew and son of Alexander the Great, Alexander IV; then the
propylon (propylaeum) built by Ptolemy II, the Macedonian king and pharaon of Egypt; the rotonda
dedicated to Arsinoe II, the second daughter and youngest child born to Macedonian king Lysimachus
from his first wife, Nika of Macedonia; and a Column monument to Filip V. One of the artifacts found, a
tiny gold Persian lion, was dedicated by a Macedonian soldier upon his return from the campaign under

192
Alexander the Great. From all of this can be seen the overwhelming majority of the prevalently
Macedonic attributes to the great Sanctuary on the isle of Samothrace. Other monuments on the isle of
Samothrace are unattested and designated merely as “Hellenistic”(?) by the conventional historians. The
historical buffoonery of this irrational claim lies in the contradictory fact of misappropriated use of the
term for designating as “hellenistic”349 the periods which are not.350
The isle in subsequent centuries it became a pilgrimage place even for the Romans, who traced their
legendary ancestry to the Aegean and the kin of Tyrsenoi (i.e. Rasena, Lat. Etruscans). This very
ancientmystery cult lasted thousands of years, until the Roman emperor Theodosius II banned cult
religions at the end of 4th century AD.

349
The “Hellenistic” is an adjective which designates “the time-period after the death of Alexander
the Great in 323 BCE until the battle of Azio (Actium) in 31 BCE and Roman empire conquest of
the Egypt.” - citation from the „Lezioni di Arte‟ (Lessons in Art) Vol.1, 'Dall'arte arcaica al
gotico' p.45: 'Il grande impero di Alessandro e i regni hellenistici'. Electa/Bruno Mondadori,
edition 2002)
350
"Finally, two points of terminology. We use the word 'Hellenistic' for no better reason other than
out of the force of acquired habit, but of course the word and the concept are modern inventions
that were unknown to the ancient world. The continued use of the word perpetuates misleading
assumptions, and there is a serious case for avoiding it altogether, though the impracticality of
this is obvious..." - M. M. Austin "Hellenistic Kings, War, and the Economy", The Classical
Quarterly New Series, Vol.36, No.2 (1986), p. 450. Published by: Cambridge University Press.
"We are now able to say, with some certainty that the 'Greex' were, empirically, wrong: this
ancient model of continuity between the 'heroic age' and the present day is not a true historical
chronology, but a 'chronology of desire'. For historians today one such a privileged moment (of
places and monuments as 'clasical') is 'Clasical Athens', the Athens of the 5th and 4th centuries
BCE. But when and why is so regarded? Was 'Clasical Athens regarded as 'Clasical' already in
antiquity? By whom?..." - 'The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Ilion to Augustine' by
Simon Price, Peter Thonemann.

193
 identity and dionisiac character of
the great gods of samothrace

For the ancient authors, and for the modern ones, the great gods Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaviroi remained
profoundly enigmatic creatures. Their cult was principally known from the Samothracian mysteries, but
also was transmitted and syncretuized across the whole Macedonian Peninsula and Aegean. Beside the
general conclusion of their exceptionally archaic nature, on their identity there‟s no satisfying clue.
Their status was equaly obscure, and no one even knew for sure if they were gods, daemons, or other
mythological beings. According to some they were children of Cronus, thus Titans. According to others
they were heir of Leivino Dionis, or Kadmo and Harmonia. The great gods Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaviroi
have been considered archaic already in the classical period. Despite their unclear identity, on the island

of Samothrace351 some of them were explicitly mentioned by Manasea (i.e. Mnaseas) of Patara with the
following names: the primordial great mother Cabiro (most probably corrupted form of
Kibela/Kubela/Cybele syncretizations of the goddess Mō or Ma) which is just another theonym
appearance of the primordial Great Mother Goddess; she is also cited by Manasea as Axiero352 - a wife of
Vulcan (Koine: Efaestus, Lat. Hephaestus), and mother of Axieroy or Axiokerso and Axiokersa353 (the
„Dioskuri‟). She was later syncretized with Demeter. Other names of the Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaveiroi
mentioned by the ancient authors were Dardanus , Kadmilos/Kasmilos and Iason.
One theory retains that Axiero was actually not a goddess but eroneously transliterated male river-
deity Axios (i.e. the river Vardar in Macedonia)354, and that his children, the Axiokerso and Axiokersa,
were actually personifications of son and daughter rivers, Erigon355 and Bregalnitsa356 respectivelly.

351
The identity and nature of the deities venerated at the Samothrace sanctuary remains largely
enigmatic, in large part because it was taboo to pronounce their names. Literary sources from
antiquity refer to them under the collective name of "Cabeiri" (Kabiri, Káviri), while they carry
the simpler epithet of Gods or Great Gods, which was a title or state of being rather than the
actual name on inscriptions found on the site.
352
Kibele or Cybele; according to the images on the ancient coins from the isle of Samothrace that
show Axiero with the same attributes binding to Phrygian Kibela and/or Hittite Kubaba.
353
Actually “Axiokerka” - „Axio‟s-daughter‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kerka
354
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vardar
355
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Erigon_Valley
356
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bregalnica

194
No definite number was associated with the Cabeiri. They appeared as four (on Samothrace, according to
Dionysodorus); as three (on Samothrace, before the addition of Casmilus/Kadmilos and other less
known Cairi; on Lemnos, if Pherecydes and Acusilaus are to be believed; in Macedonia, though here the
third brother is the Cabirus); as two or three (on Samothrace, according to some authorities; on Lemnos,
as numismatic evidence proves; in Miletus, if Tottes and Onnes were Cabiri; in Thebes, if the Dionis is to
be reckoned as a Cabir).
The mysteries of the Great Gods resemble the Dionisiac in many ways, like the use of wine or ritual
dances of purification. Underlining the close relations between Leivino Dionis and the rest of
Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaviroi was one Cabir predominant in the cults of Thebes and Macedonia. In this cult of
Macedonia, appear three Corybantic brothers, the most important of whom, the Cabiro, par excellence,
was murdered by the other two. The assassins buried the head under Mount Olymp, but transported the
penis in a cista to Etruria. This Cabiro, as the offerings show, was also identified with Leivino Dionis,
and worshipped with a divine child playing his role.
Other Dionisiac elements also link the Cabiri/Cabeiri/Kaviroi to the cult of wine god, like the „sacred
marriage‟ rite. Some authors also relate Kadmo and Harmonia (another mythical parents of Dionis) to
Thebes and Samothrace. Nonno di Panopolis in his „Dionysiaca‟ also testifies the Dionisiac nature of the
Samothracian mysteries. According to another myth Leivino Dionis had brought Ariadne, after Theseus
abandoned her, to the isle of Lemnos, where they apparently had four children – Toanton, Stafilon,
Oinopion („Wine-opium‟ in plain Macedonian) and Pepareton. All these Dionisiac allegations make
strong case of their relation to Leivino Dionis. It is most probable that they both have a common origins
in the early Bronze Age, but they were separated after syncretized Levino Dionis was adopted in the
Clasical pantheon, while the Cabeiri/Caveiri/Kaviroi remained more or less anonymous deities of the
primordial Pelasgo-Macedonic prehistoric pantheon.

From Samothrace, the most prominent centre of the Cabiric mysteries in Macedonic times, we also have
the most satisfactory ancient account of the nature of the Cabeiri/Caveiri/Kaviroi. We owe the
information to the scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius (I, 917). As another but younger deity of the Great
Gods from Samothrace is mentioned Kadmilo (Lat. Kadmilos or Kasmillos). His name is claimed to mean
“the Eastern” or “the ancient god” (from the Phoenician “Kedem” -„east‟ and/or „ancient‟). He was
worshipped as a god not only at Samothrace (Plutarch Pelopid. 19), but also at Lemnos, Sparta
(Pausanias, III.15), whither the influence of the Phoenician colony on Kythera had extended, and, under
the form of Kadmilos (Kedem el - “he who is before God”), corrupted into Kasmilos, was another one of

195
the Cabiri/Kabeiri of Samothrace. Then also there was the goddess Pallas, on which the safety of Ilion
(Troy) was believed to depend, and Dardan(us) who is sometimes described as a Cretan (Serv. ad Aen.
III.167), sometimes as an Asiatic (Steph. s. v. Dardanus; Eustath. ad Dionys. Perieg. 391), while Arrian
(ap. Eustath. p. 351) makes him come originally from Samothrace.

In addition to promising enlightenment if not actual resurrection, all these Great Gods transmitted such
skills as wine making, metallurgy, alchemy, mathematics, masonry, astronomy and calendars. They were
mentioned also by Erodot (Lat. Herodotus) as thought by Pelasgians to the men from the isle of
Samothrace: “…and those who are initiated in the mysteries of the Kabeiri will understand what I am
saying; for the Pelasgians formerly inhabited Samothrace, and it is from them that the Samothracians
received their initiations.” Тhus, the epicenter of their veneration was the Northern Aegean, on the islands
of Lemnos and Samothrace, which were originally Pelasgo-Macedonic ethnically. They were conquered
and colonized for some time by the city-state of Athens starting in the 6th century BCE.
Initiation rituals promised to initiated salvation as well as the opportunity to become a better and
more pious person. Secret names of the powerfull ancient deities were invoked by initiated under the most
severe conspiracy and immense spiritual commitment. The rite was secret, but there was nothing
mysterious about it. Strabo gave the following explanation: “The secrecy with which the sacred rites are
concealed induces reverence for the divine, since it imitates the nature of the divine, which is to avoid
being perceived by our human senses.” People from all around the Mediterranean arrived there in search
for salvation, protection, and to bring their offerings and prays to the Great Gods. They are identified and
confused with various other ancient deities, such as the Couretes, the Idaean Dactyls, the Telchines.
Nevertheless, the cult of Cabeiri/Kabeiri predated the arrival of Semitic “Greex” by a long shot, and
wasn‟t part of their pantheon. In order to understand how complicated and intricate was the mystery cult
of these Great Gods, we must cite here the writer next to Erodot, Stesimbrotus, who speaks about the
Cabeiri, and whose statements we possess in Strabo (p. 472), though brief and obscure. The meaning of
the passage in Strabo is (according to Lobeck) as follows: “Some persons think that the Corybantes (i.e.
Koryvantes) are the sons of Cronus, others that they are the sons of Dze(us) and Kaliope, and that they
(the Corybantes/Koryvantes) went to Samothrace and were the same as the beings who were there called

196
Cabeiri.” But as the doings of the Corybantes/Korovantes (i.e. „Those dressed in ivy‟, “Korov” – „chaf‟357
in plain Macedonian) are generally known, whereas nothing is known of the Samothracian ones, those
persons are obliged to have recourse to saying, that the doings of the latter Corybantes/Korovantes are
kept secret or are mystic. However, this opinion was contested by Demetrius, who stated that the
mysteries has revealed nothing, either of the deeds of the Cabeiri or of their having accompanied Rhea or
of their having brought up Dze(us) and/or Dionis.
Demetrius also mentions the opinion of Stesimbrotus, that the sacred rituals were performed in
Samothrace to the Cabeiri, who supposedly derived their name from Mt. Cabeir(us) in Phrygian
Berecyntia. But here again opinions differ, and some believed that the Sacred Kabeirôn were thus called
from their having been instituted and conducted by the Cabeiri, others thought that they were celebrated
in honour of the Cabeiri, and that the Cabeiri belonged to the great gods.
According to Schelling the etymology of the names of the Great Gods (the Cabiri, actually „Ka-
Viroi‟) is achieved by means of a very concrete and literal geological survey of the island itself. A truly
distant in the past catastrophic event, which maybe descends from the very creation of the Mediterranean
Sea (once a dry landmass before the Zanclean Flood), remained preserved in the collective memory of
primitive humans. Transmited legends testify that the Samothracian Mysteries themselves were born from
a great convulsion of nature. And the Kabeiri/Kaveiroi were described as evil titans/daemons of fire who
shaked the earth and expelled fire from the depths of the earth and the sea. At that immemorial time,
when large tracts of Asia would have been covered with water continuously, others for a time, the
lowlands of Samothrace also were inundated, as the indigenes reported; on the highest mountain peaks
they had sought aid with persistent vows to the native gods. Diodorus Siculus adds that around the
circumference of the whole island still stand altars, which identify the limits of the peril and the
deliverance. According to F.W.J. Schelling the secret names of the Cabiri commemorate and bear witness
to this ancient natural catastrophe. As Schelling himself writes, the Deluge was “transmuted into
monuments exhibited in commemoration.” For example, the name Axiokersa contains the PIE root *hrs-
which, in turn, is connected to fire (Horus/Ares/Mars)358, and, in this way, it manifests the ancient
wisdom that (according to Heraclit): “The world is an eternal living fire, which at intervals… flares up
and is extinguished.” The (justified) suspition of Shelling is that the catastrophic unruliness of nature is
implicitly contained in these names, and to etymologically analyze them is also simultaneously to reveal
the workings of nature itself, preserved in the secret names of the Cabeiri as “a primordial system older
than all written documents, which is the common source of all religious doctrines and representations.”
Their secret names, in fact, are the unruly ground of this natural catastrophe recapitulated. According to
Shelling the Great Gods of Samothrace are analogous to the elemental forces of nature. 359
The first difficulty that arises with the Cabiri/Kabiri theonym is their Latin-corrupted form, and
however unclear etymology. Strabon, citing the Demetrio of Scepsi, gives a supposed relation to the Mt.
Kabiros (or possibly Mt. Cybistra?), in Phrygian (i.e. Brygian) Berecyntia.360 Nevertheless, this euphemic
epithet is found both in the literary and the epigraphic sources, and is equally transcribed as the “Great
Gods”. But, Latin incongruencies removed we may see that Cabeiri/Kabiroi were actually 'Kaviroi', more
precisely "Ka-Viroi", which in vernacular Macedonian means 'Energy-whirls'. For the sake of the truth, it
must be also mentioned here the phonological congruency of the Cabeiri/Kabeiri with the Hebrew term

357
http://www.makedonski.info/search/korov
358
See “Arson” too.
359
F.W.J. Schelling, “The Deities of Samothrace”.
360
Berekyntes is the ethnonym of an ancient tribe in Phrygia, possibly of Brygian or Hittite descent.

197
Kabala, which denotes the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible by using similar
esoteric methods like the ones of the mystery cults from the island of Samothrace.
Further, the Great Mother Goddess was either Cabiro or Axiero, thenafter Demeter and else,
depending on the source, and with time the twins Axieroy and Axiokersa became syncretized with the
Dioskouri, and in the later historiography they transformed as the twins Castor and Pollux, who were
seen as the protectors of sailors, thus underlining their watery attributes. The above mentioned secret
names of these “Great Gods” inevitably suggest strong etymological connection of the PIE root word
*axio- („axle‟) with the ancient name of the main Macedonian inland artery and river-god Axios361, and
once again points to their Pelasgo-Macedonic origin. As known fact, all these places around Axios (today
river Vardar) were, and they still are, originally inhabited by pre-Hellenic peoples, i.e. the indigenous
Macedonic population, also known as Belasgians (Lat. Pelasgians), Brygians, Paionians, Hyperboreans,
etc. When ancient texts suggest an ethnicity for the Cabiri/Kabeiroi, they are Phrygian, Pelasgian.
Apolon and Artemida had spent their childhood among their kin in Hyperborea (Hesiod Teor. 404;
Herodotus IV.32.). Homer tells us also that the kin of the Paionians was generated in the marriage of
Axios and the nymph Perivoia (i.e.„The-first-one‟), etc.
Another clear mark of the distinguishable Macedonic character of Samothrace, as already mentioned
above, is the very name of the isle. Namely, the only other existing IE word that contains the prefix
“Samo-” is once again Macedonian. That‟s the composite Macedonian word for fairy – “Samovila”362,
where the meaning of the bisyllabic prefix “Sa-Mo” (i.e. „With-Mō‟) clearly depicts the being(s) that
appertain to or “are with Mo” (the Great Mother Goddess). The second part of the word – “Vila” means
just simple „fairy‟ in plain Macedonian257, but it is rarely used separated. Samovilas are winged spiritual
beings from the woods, with great powers, comparable to angels and/or elfs. Thus, having in mind the
meaning of “Thrace”258 too, the island of Samothrace full name meaning is the “Great Mother Goddess
Land-tract”. It can be also scrutinized the other, more simple meaning of the prefix “Samo” – „only, alone
(it)‟ in plain Macedonian259, which in this case for Samothrace would mean „Lone-tract‟ (of land, thus
„Island‟). But taken in consideration the holiness of the place the first version is more plausible.

361
Since in the Latin there‟s no etymological sense linked to this name, the only plausible is through
the earlier Koine term Axos [Αρνο] - tree or timber, which explains perfectly the widely known
status of the ancient Macedonian kingdom as the primary supplier of the Aegean coastal cities
with the ship-building material, i.e. wood, that was shipped to the Thermaic Gulf along the river
Vardar. Hence the corrupted Koine-Latin name of Axiοs for this river (Vardar or Bardarios).
362
There‟s also the Sanskrit term for goddess, “Samodeva”, which implies incredibly distant in past
common feature of these deified beings, but their obvious relation with the Macedonian
“Samovila” still lacks the minimum of scientific atention.

198
 unrenaming of the Macedonic deities
from mō-ma to mama, from bogo vō to vol and bull, from
Triple goddess to triple-vō and “triumph”

Although the names of the Great Gods or Cabiri/Kaviroi were enshrouded in mystery, there‟s clear
undeniable evidence of their Macedonic origin. The Great Mother Goddess Mō or Ma monosyllabic root
words find its plain reminiscence in today Macedonian words “Moma” - „maid‟363 and “Mama” -
„mom‟364 in the very same vernacular fashion and exact Macedonian redaction as the syllabic ligatures
from the 3rd century BCE Rosetta Stone. Thus, the revealed name of the primordial mother goddess as

written in the middle text from the Rosetta Stone was “Mō Dea”. Ancient Macedonian syllabic script
today may look unbearably different from the actual Macedonian alphabet-script, but if carefully
transliterated the words meanings and their verbal construction in ancient Macedonic idiom are

363
http://www.makedonski.info/search/moma
364
http://www.makedonski.info/search/mama

199
semantically the same to the modern Macedonian. They even show the same dialectial features as today
Macedonian dialects from the same regions.
As already mentioned in one of the previous chapters the same goes for the forgotten epithet-name
of the Supreme Sky-father Vō, hidden behind the embarasingly misused word “Triumph”, that
descends from the Koine “ζξίακβλν(ο)365 i.e. „ThriamVo(s)‟ – "Triple-Vō" in plain Macedonian.366 As
“Bogo Vō” was the highest Supreme Creator-God, grand-grandfather of all other gods, his monosyllabic
votive theonym was invoked no less but three times.
This supreme Sky-father was Bull-horned too. As mentioned in one of the previous chapters, with
the agriculture arrived the domestiacation of animals, and the epoch of the Celestial Sacred Bull, Apis,
initiated too. The Macedonian word for „Bull‟ is precisely the “Vō” and/or “Vol ”367, but also “Gō-vedo”
– directly related to PIE root word *gwou-368; hence the Latin-corrupted „Bovine‟ (from “Vō”, Latinized
into “Bo” + “Ovine”)369.
As already mentioned before, the etymological explanation of the so much praised votive grandeur
of the syllables Gō/Vō is rather simple. In the times of Agricultural Revolution the domesticated cattle
replaced the big herds of wild horned beasts, thus the primordial Horned God was also refurbished with
new type of horns, those of the Bull, Ram, or Goat. And since it was much easier to replenish the horns
from a bull (or ram) than to hunt down a deer or wild aurochs, the Horned God became Bull-horned too.
This marked the beginning of the epoch of Celestial Sacred Bull, Apis, since the Supreme Sky-father
god changed his attributes of power. Thus, the Macedonian word for „Bull‟ is precisely “Vō” and/or
“Vol ”370, but also “Gō-vedo” – both directly related to PIE root word *gwou-371; hence also the Latin-
corrupted „Bovine‟ (from “Vō” Latinized into “Bo” + “Ovine”)372.
For example, even the word „Mystery‟, which originally appeared in Koine in the plural, Mystêria,
as the name of the festival that we currently call the Eleusian Mysteries (Ch. I) just as other names of
ancient festivals are in the plural, such as Anthesteria, Thargelia and Dionisia. Generations of scholars

365
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=el&tl=en&text=%CE%B8%CF%81
%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B2%CE%BF%CF%82
366
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=triumph – Important Note: the Koine “β” is NOT the
same to Latin “B”, but to “V”! Listen from the previous link the Google Translate translation. In
plain Macedonian “Trima” - „trio‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/trima
367
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vol,
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=%D0%B4%D0%
B2%D0%B0%20%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0
368
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*gwou-
369
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=bovine
370
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vol,
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=auto&tl=en&text=%D0%B4%D0%
B2%D0%B0%20%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0
371
https://www.etymonline.com/word/*gwou-
372
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=bovine

200
 Error!

Above: Dionis with a thyrsus in a panther-drawn chariot. A bronze coin from Sebaste (Phrygia)

have connected /mystêrion/ with the Koine verb /myô/ [pronounced „mōuó‟], which means „to close the
lips or eyes‟, and they have explained it as referring to Demeter‟s commandment in her Homeric Hymn
(478–479) to keep the rites secret.373 Accordingly, the Macedonian verb for saying „close-your-eyes‟ is -
„Miţi‟ [meeˈţie], and the term for „close-your-lips/mouth‟ is - „Muči‟ (modern „Molči‟). This assumption
is utterly correct as „mystêrion‟ doesn‟t contain a secondary -s-, like many other Koine words. And
there‟s yet another possible etymological explanation. More recently, Hittite scholars have explained the
Koine term from the Hittite verb „munnae‟, meaning „to conceal, to hide‟, to „shut out of sight‟, rather
than „keep secret, be silent about‟.374 And once again we find the very same word in modern vernacular
Macedonian: “Mani ” i.e. „Munny‟ in anglicized spelling [pronounced „manee‟] - „to put away, dispose,
left off ‟.375
Common origin of the Macedonic, Pelasgic and Hittite languages are clearly seen through
ethnonyms and toponyms as well. Like in the Hittite holy royal capital of Cybistra, which resembles the
homonymous toponyms of Mt. Bistra, village, and river Bistritsa in Macedonia. The Hittite language
and race are still under discussion, but a great preponderance of scholastic opinion appears to declare
that neither the one nor the other was Semitic “Greek”. The above etymological correspondence with
Macedonic shows their common origin.
Similarities between the Hittite gods and gods of kingdom of Macedon prove again and again their
prehistoric relations and common origin. Both Macedonians and Hittites celebrated the same Supreme
Father God of the sky, the very same Mother Goddess of the earth, and their divine son and Sun-God,
373
In the „Preface‟ of “Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World” by Jan N. Bremmer.
N. Oettinger, Die Stammbildung des hethitischen Verbums (Nuremberg, 1979) 161–162; J.
Puhvel, „Secrecy in Hittite: munnai- vs. sanna-‟, Incontri linguistici 27 (2004) 101–104 and Hittite
Etymological Dictionary, M (Berlin and New York, 2004) 188–192; A. Kloekhorst, Etymological
Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden, 2008) 587–588; R. Beekes, Etymological
Dictionary of Greek, 2 vols (Leiden, 2010) 2.988. I am most grateful to Norbert Oettinger for
advice regarding the etymology.
374
Ibid.
375
Example: “Mani mi se od tuka!” - „Get away from me and from here!‟ in plain Macedonian.

201
lover of the goddesses - a Hittite Dionis from the village of Ibreez. The statue of deity, some fourteen feet
high, is a bearded male figure, wearing on his head a high pointed cap adorned with several pairs of
horns, and plainly clad in a short tunic, which does not reach his knees and is drawn in at the waist by a
belt. His legs and arms are bare, the wrists are encircled by bangles or bracelets. His feet are shod in high
boots with turned-up toes (Macedonian popular shoes, „Opintsi‟ in plain Macedonian). In his right hand

Above: ceramic Hittite boot model from the second millennium BCE, and on the right -
today souvenir Opintsi-shoes from the market in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia

he holds a vine-branch laden with clusters of grapes, and in his raised left hand he grasps a bunch of
bearded wheat, such as is still grown in Cappadocia, the ears of corn project above his fingers, while the
long stalks hang down to his feet. That the god of Ibreez, with the grapes and corn in his hands, is
identical with the Baal of Tarsus and/or Dionis, who bear the same emblems, may be taken as certain.376
Furthermore, in the inscription attached to the colossal figure of the god at Ibreez two scholars have
professed to read the name of Sandan or Sanda. Needless to mention that the name Sande is still a very
common male name in Macedonia, and only in Macedonia.
Numerous other gods and demigods worshipped by the Ancient Macedonians were part of a local
Macedonic pantheon. There are numerous testimonies of these Macedonic deities brought to us by
ancient historiographers or from numerous artifacts found in recent archaeological excavations A
notable influence on Macedonian religious life and worship was from neighboring Thessaly, the two
regions shared many similar cultural institutions. Ancient Macedonians were tolerant of, and open to,
incorporating foreign religious influences. The prehistoric sun-cult worship originally celebrated by the

376
An interesting Hittite symbol which occurs both in the sanctuary at Boghaz-Keui and at the palace
of Euyuk is the double-headed eagle. In both places it serves as the support of divine or priestly
personages. After being readopted as a coat of arms by the Macedonian dynasty that ruled in the
Middle Ages Byzantium, it passed into Europe with the Crusaders and became in time the escutcheon
of the German, Austrian and Russian empires, and later on passed again as emblem of the new
nations created by the above mentioned empires: Serbia, Montenegro; and lastly as “national” flag of
Albania.

202
Macedonic Paionians from Upper Macedonia is example of continuity through incorporation of
primordial deities into ancient world. The universal solar symbols such as the Swastika or the Paionian
Solar-disc for example, were used in Macedonia from the most archaic times, and they were also used as
the dynasty symbol of the Aegead (Lat. Argead) royal family. As cosmopolitan society Macedonians
also worshiped neighboring tribes gods, such as the “Thracian377 rider”, Bendion, and other cult figures.
One unsurmountable obstacle in discovering the original names and titles of the ancient Macedonian
gods still remains the tradition of keeping their names SECRET. It was extremely prohibitive to
pronounce gods names, and it was considered as a very bad omen and great misfortune for those who
pronounce them. In many respects the issue of divine names appears to be a far more disquieting
problem than we tend to realize or acknowledge. Their names were hidden behind symbol-syllables
worn on amulets. The only source from were we are deducing their existence are the imodested
Interpretatio Graeca and Interpretatio Latina, thus, the way in which the foreigner Semitic “Greex” and
Latin Romans used to call them. Through these highly corrupted and unclear interpretations from
different non-Macedonic sources we painstakingly reconstruct the secrets of ancient Macedonian
Pantheon. Another obstacle is presented by the diversity of the forms and attributes of the same gods in
different countries, different forms and of different epochs.

377
On difference from “Brygian”, “Macedonian”, “Paionian” or “Pelasgian”, the “Thracian” isn‟t a
proper ethnonym.* The (multiuse) term 'Thracia' used by ancient authors as well as their modern
counterparts, traced the territory of 'Thracia' totally differently, depending on whether they referred to
ethnic or political boundaries. They differ from source to source. As a geographical name its
etymological meaning was “the land” or “the coast”. This can be seen from Hecataeus (Hec., ap.
Steph. Byz., s.v. Darsioi: ethnon Thrakion („Daorsoi‟ were living on the left bank of the river Neretva
to the Adriatic cost in Dalmatia). Apollodorus also used the term „Thrakes‟ for „Histri‟ on the Histrian
Peninsula (Istra in today‟s Croatia). These two examples evidenced that this designation had no
obvious ethnic connotations, and should be translated as “Landers”, “Mainland tribe” or “Coastal
tribe”, i.e. a tribe living on the mainland or on the coast. This interpretation can be emphasised by data
from Herodotus (Her., VII, 185) who describes the Thessalian tribes as “those Thracians living on the
Thessalian Coast along the sea”. It was very well known to Herodotus‟ audience that the Thessalians
are not „Thracians‟ in ethnical sense. - “On the Names of Thracia and Eastern Macedonia”,
ΚΡΑΣΗ΢ΣΟ΢, Сборник в чест на професор Петър Делев, София, 2017, рp. 75-82 N. Proeva 2017.
* This term is actually misused form of the word „tract‟; thus, the adjective “Thracian” describes a
„population of some (land) tract‟.

203
Above: Golden Macedonian royal larnax with the 16-ray sun, a solar symbol of Heaven and of the
Aegead (lat. Argead) dynasty

Gods, as we saw, were occasionally exalted as being Polyonymous (i.e. Polynomial - „of many names‟).
In fact, practically all gods were entitled to that qualification due to the fact that, in prayer, ritual and
literature, they were referred to with a variety of predicates, epithets and surnames. The Macedonians
too, often represented the same god(s) under different forms and undetermined attributes; this is because
they were not the same everywhere across the Macedonian Peninsula, nor in charge of the same tasks.
As mentioned before “There are,” says Hesiod, “30,000 gods on the fruitful earth.” Hittites too, they
were also proverbial with their “1000 gods”. For example, the differentiation between the Day-sky god
and the Night-sky god (or goddess) was later forgotten, at least in speaking, and it is chiefly from
preserved funeral texts that we learned that a distinction between them ever existed. Minucius Felix, a
Christian theologian, who in his „Octavius‟ 22.5, after derisively listing different Diana‟s (Diana
pictured as a huntress, Diana Ephesia with many breasts, Diana Trivia with three heads) and Ioves
(Jupiter Ammon „with horns‟, Jupiter Capitolinus „with a lightning‟, Jupiter Latiaris „sprinkled with
blood‟, etc.), ends up with the firm conclusion in order not to dwell excessively on these many Ioves:
“There are as many „monsters of Juppiter‟ as there are names (et ne longius multos Ioves obeam, tot
sunt Iovis monstra quot nomina).”

204
One Macedonian region that today boasts a „St. George‟ in antiquity housed a goddess named „Mother
of the Gods‟ (Γεκεηεξ Θεῶλ Αὐηόρζωλ), as well as a „Macedonian Dionis‟. Incidentally, the
Macedonian Great Mother of the gods had to face competition from the Lydian Mother of the Gods
(Μεηξὶ Θεῶλ Λπδ[ίαη]) as this goddess is known from an inscription from the region of Sardis. In that
region she was associated (if not identified) with „Rhea‟, the same goddess who is often referred to as
Phrygian Goddess Mother (Φξύγηαε Γεα Μαηεξ), i.e. the Mother of the Gods, Cybele, and was already
called Supreme Goddess (ἐπηρωξίε ζεόο) of Sardis by Erodot.
However, the clear Macedonic nature of different (father) gods can be deduced from their
Macedonian mail suffix /-ON/ ("he" in plain Macedonian). For example: Aton, Acmon, Ammon,
Akhenaton, Danaon, Dion, Makedon, Mygdon, Orion, etc.

205
 The list of known and
unknown Macedonic deities
What follows is the incomplete and diversely transliterated list of different Macedonic deities, or
different namings of the same deities in alphabetical order, as reconstructed from many ancient sources
(Homer, Amerias, Hesychius, etc.) and their transliterations. Probability of their truly original naming is

very slim, due to the countless centuries of transcriptions, altered interpretations, latinization, and latest
anglicization. The theonyms below are the best guess that can be drawn from all the data at our disposal.
The original name forms of the gods from the Hesychius Lexicon will be cited in blue; the word
separator Stigma (ο), erroneously used as letter „s‟, will be omitted or in parenthesis:

Akmon of Phrygia – a Fire-God, was a Macedonic-Phrygian god, a deified king who gave his name
to the district known as Akmonia; he was the father of Mygdon, his successor.378 Maybe a local version
of one of the Great Gods or Kabeiri/Cabeiri/Kaviroi from Samothrace.
Ade, Aide [Lat. Hades/Ouranos/Caelus, Gaulic Aed] – the primordial supreme god of the
underworld; in today Macedonian: “Aide” - „Lets (go)‟ and its vernacular forms “Oide” - „Gone‟ and
“Pojde” - „departed‟, and also “Otade” - „beyond‟. It‟s yet another Dionisiac deity, once a Sky-father
god, it was deposed and as succumbed one apparently became a chthonic deity. Heraclit says explicitly -
“Ades and Dionis, for whom they go mad and rage, are one and the same.” For Heraclit, Leivino Dionis
is the god of insane wildness, the god of which the Manasias and his affiliates also say “This god is the
same god as Ade”. As the deposed one matches the Roman equivalent Pluton, maybe related also to the
Asyrian god Adad. Like Baal in Ugarit coming to the threshing ground as leader of the dead spirits, the
repha'im, Ade/Leivino Dionis is coming as the leader of the satyrs, who are half men, half horses; the
horse character stressing their strong ties to the underworld realm of death. The sacrificial ram or goat is
also a symbol of the dying Sun/Dionis.
Adon/Adonai/Αδωναιο(ο) - Ποζειδον Μακεδονε(ο) [i.e. „Macedonian Poseidon‟ according to
Hesychius] – the Macedonian god of the waters and seas. It is thought that he had his principal seat at
Tarsus, in a plain of luxuriant fertility and almost tropical climate, tempered by breezes from the snowy
range of Mt.Tarsus on the northand from the sea on the south. Later promoted into God of the
Underworld (syncretized as Ad/Adad/Hades, possibly Etruscan Velxan, thus Roman Vulcan and/or

378
Phrygians anciently migrated to Anatolia from the Balkans. Erodot says the Phrygians were
called Bryges when they lived in Europe (i.e. Macedonia).

206
ancient Macedonian Volganos also mentioned by Hesychius). It was believed that black race is of his
dominion (as black skin was thought to be burned by the unerworld fire/lava). Also noted as a name
Adon of an Armenian general and a Phrygian flute-player (Kretschmer 1916, 1920), thus of most
probable Macedonic origin. Also another (older) appelattion of Leivino Dionis, who liked to ride the
dolphins, part of his special companions. Related to Macedonic “Dno” - „bottom‟, hence metathesis of
“Adnoa” - „on the bottom‟, someone who lives on the bottom; see also the rivers “Don” and/or
“Danube” toponym origin from “Donau”. Adonai was also mentioned as Phoenician god „Don‟. Was it
imported in Cartage (founded in 814 BCE) by the Pelasgo-Macedonians, or vice versa we don‟t know.
Zodiacal sign Pisces.

Adraia – goddess of lightning, cnsort of Dion/Dzevs.

Afrodite [Lat. Aphrodite - „Foam-child‟379 in plain Macedonian and Macedonian Zeirene according
to Hesychius (see more on p.197); syncretized as Dione/Divona, also known as Ištar or Astarte,
Egyptian: Hathor Etruscan: Zirna/Ziren or Turan, Latin: Venus, etc.] – goddess of the evening star

379
“Ifrit” - „furious‟ in plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/ifrit and/or “Safra” -
„malaise‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/safra; + child:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/dete

207
 Above: Etruscan bronze mirror depicting winged Zirna (Zeirene) behind Turan (Lat. Venus) and
young Atunis (Lat. Nettunus, anglicized Neptune i.e. Attis/Adonis or Poseidon), Hathna, etc.

(Venus), of war and of sexual love, beauty, fertility and procreation, allegedly born from the sea foam.
Known period of her worship has been identified from circa 1300 BCE (evolving from an earlier
prehistoric fetish models), until Christianization. Her name‟s plain Macedonic etymology once again
contributes her as deified being from the Macedonian pantheon. Roman equivalent Venus; however,
according to Erodot (Lat. Herodotus), she was worshiped by the Phoenicians on Paphos (on Crete) and
Ascalon too, but it is possible that as a native goddess of fertility was worshipped before the arrival of
the Phoenicians. Syncretized as Artemis and Astarte too, in both varieties she was the offshoot of that
great goddess of motherhood and fertility whose worship appears to have been spread all over
Macedonian Peninsula and Western Asia from a very early time. Her totem was represented by a simple
upright white cone or pyramide, in like manner as the cone that was the emblem of Astarte at Byblus, of
the native goddess also called Artemis at Perga in Pamphylia. Conical stones, which apparently served
as idols, have also been found at Golgi in Cyprus, and in the Phoenician temples of Malta, and cones of

208
sandstone came to light at the shrine of the “Mistress of Torquoise” among the barren hills and frowning
precipices of Sinai. To this day this old custom appears to survive in Macedonia, for “in honour of the
Maid of the House” i.e. the Earth Mother Goddess Mō - these great corner-stones are still visible on
many old-style houses across Macedonia. The precise significance of such an emblem today is long ago
forgotten, and remains as obscure as it was in the time of Tacitus. Then she appeared as wearing a crown
of cows’ horns enclosing a sun disc. This feature thenafter transformed into emanating sun rays and a
crown in a form of a citadel. Whether she went by the name Aphrodite, Astarte, Europe, Eurynome,
Ziren/Zeirene, or what not, she remained the grand echo of the primordial mother goddess. Zodiacal sign
Taurus, Capricorn or Cancer, depending on various local traditions.

Apollon Oteudanos [pre-Homeric: Apelon, Hittite: Appuliunaš, Etruscan: Aplu, Apulun, Persian:
Apullunas] – originally a hermaphrodite god of music, poetry, medicine, adopted in prehistoric times as
another Macedonic solar deity with the syllable name Zee, as a god of the spiritual energy i.e. the „cold
light‟ of the Morning light before the sunrise; but also later syncretized as Thunderer, and god of hunting
and healing, patron of music, poetry, medicine, pastoral life, archery, prophecy, and associated with the
sunlight (Phoebus); also he is yet another name and distant avatar of the mysterious primordial Horned
God, and his different variants of Dionis, Orpheus, etc. His Macedonic name “Apollon” - „without one
half (A-pollon i.e. sexless)‟ in plain Macedonian, from “Pola” - „half‟380; the same „halfism‟ we find in
the Latin word “sex”: "Commonly taken with seco as division or 'half' of the race" [Tucker], which

380
http://www.makedonski.info/search/pola

209
would connect it to secare "to divide or cut" (see noun section too).381 Like Leivino Dionis he was the
son of the supreme Sky-father god too, and was the leader of the Maenads/Muses. The paean dance of
healing is closely identified with the Apollo cult. He is the father of Askleipos, the god of healing, and
he is the one who taught mankind the Art of Prophecy and is continually associated with purification
rites and oracles. His mother is accordingly “Leto” - „Summer‟ in plain Macedonian.382 He is also
pictured with lions, common pets of the Earth goddesses, from which he inherited the divine triplicity
too. During the Trojan War he and his mother fought for the Trojans (i.e. Macedonians). During the 5th
century BCE, Apolon became known as the god of Sun, becoming one with the god Ilios and/or
Mitra/Sol Invictus. Associated with the mystical number 7, Zodiacal sign Leo.
In the 19th century two inscriptions were found at Prescovatz near Bitola which refer to a god called
Apollon Oteudanos and/or Eteudaniskos. It was suggested that this god was of Macedonian origin.

381
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=sex
382
http://www.makedonski.info/search/Leto#%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BE/%D1%81%D
1%80

210
 Ares [Hittite „Jarri‟ (god of plague and war, khown as the “lord of the bow” who protected the king
in battle), in Egypt known as „Oru(s)‟, Latinized: „Horus‟383, Hebrew „Hrs‟, Asyrian „Asur‟, etc.; hence
the corrupted Etruscan „Maris‟ and later Roman „Mars‟] – the Macedonian god of war Ares was directly
related to the month of March. This is deduced from the name of this month in the Thessalian calendar -
Απειορ, as well as from his animal-symbol - ram. In Ancient Macedonian calendar his erroneously
Koine-transliterated name for the month as “Artemision” barely hides his original name, which actually
descended from the Macedonian “Jarets” - „Capricorn‟. Why this Aries-Capricorn duality? It is an
etymological glitch, as the Macedonic “Jarets” is actually an epithet which descends from the term
“Jara” - „rage/heat‟ in plain Macedonian, while in Macedonic-Hittite pantheon he was “Jarri” - god of
war/pestilence. It can be concluded that the epithet “Jarets” - „raging‟ was rightfully given to animal
totems of both Ram and Capricorn, as well as to the war god. With time this became his only and
principal name as corrupted “Ares” (hence “Aries” and Latin: “Mars”). According to ancient tradition it
is said that Ares was born as parthenogenetic child of the Great Mother Goddess, the same syncretic
feature that we find in Mitra and Jesus Christ. Zodiac sign Scorpio.
Areton/Aroto/Απωηο(ο) - Ζπακληο παπα Μακεδονια(ο) („Erakles384 for Macedonians‟
according to Hesychius) – the Macedonic god of strength and incredible power mentioned in Hesychius
Glossary. In later genealogy attested as “Erakle/Irakle” (Etruscan: Hercle; Lat. Hercules). In
Macedonian “stAROTO” means the „Elder‟. The word is also found in many Macedonian dialects as
“Aroto” meaning the „Old One‟; probably the root word of „Archaic‟ < „Ar-Kai-o(s)‟ too.
Likely that he actually transformed into another Pre-Christian Macedonic god of thunder, “Perun”
(“Striker”). His attributes were same as the Irakle‟s – a club, and his sacred animal was the bull.
“Perun” is known to have been worshiped as far as Kiev and Moscow. It was recorded by Romans too
in the late antiquity Macedonian pantheon, but transliterated as “Perende”, with clear primacy assigned
as the thunder god, who is not a borrowing from other pantheons as is sometimes thought, but an old
Macedonic deity reported in Romeian (dubbed „Byzantine‟) sources of the 6th century (Riasanovsky,
1969:26). Also the storm god in the Roman province of Illyria; Latvian “Perkons”, Lithuanian
“Perkuns”, etc.
Artemida, Artemidi Pasikrata (see below on p.192) or Artemida Enodia (“Artemis 1st-
Goddess”) – presumably again just another syncretization of the difused Great Mother Goddess
duplicity or triplicity, Artemis was a deity of very ancient origins, mistress of animals and huntress; she
presides over nature and over the initiation rituals of young girls. She is also a goddess of blood
sacrifice, and her image didn‟t differ much from Aphrodite or Kibela/Cybele and Hecate.
As/Az – “The1-st”, the Supreme/Solar/Celestial God-kreator, the highest „Upper one‟; Etruscan Ais,
generally noted as the oldest syllabic appellations for the later polynomial appearances of
Aplu/Apolo/Apolon, Ares, Dyaus/Dionis/Bachus/Adonis, Ill/Illiy/Ilios/Helios, Xant(us), Dze/Ze(us),
Uran(us), Taranis/TarunPerun, Sol Invictus, Varuna/Veles, etc.
Aton or Aten (i.e. A-to-on - “First-he”, also spelled Aten in ancient Egyptian religion, and/or
Phrygian Attis in corrupted Interpretatio Graeca) – the father (archaic Atta) Sun-God, depicted as the
solar disk emitting rays terminating in human hands, whose worship was brought to Egypt by a

383
This the root word for „horror‟ as well, „orrore‟ in plain Italian.
384
“Erakles” is yet another Macedonic epithet: “E-raklest” – „Is-handstrong‟, denoting his very
strong arms; from “Race”[pronounced ratse] - „hands‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/race

211
Macedonic-Hittite princess. It was briefly the Egyptian state monotheist religion. The pharaon
Akhenaton (reigned 1353-1336 BCE) returned to supremacy of this Father Sun-God, with the startling
innovation that the Aton was to be the only god (see Ra). To remove himself from the preeminent cult of
Ptah of Memphis i.e. Ammon-Ra at Thebes, Akhenaton built the city of Akhetaten (now Tell el-Amarna)
as the centre for the Aton‟s worship.385 According to the tradition Aton/Attis was slain by the boar's tusk
of winter, a common winter solstice sacrifice-reincarnation, a rite found also in Dionisiac and all other
sun-gods traditions related to the Winter Solstice.

Athos (maybe just another version of Aton) – was one of the primordial titans. He is most known for
the attempted but discarded by Alexander the Great creation of the Mt. Athos monument, a mountain and
peninsula in southern Macedonia, today known as "The Holy Mountain" (Sveta Gora), which is
located on Halkidiki peninsula in Lower (Aegean) Macedonia. Ancient Macedonian architect and artist
proposed to Alexander III of Macedon to sculpture the rocks of Mt. Athos in the form of sitting Titan, but
Alexander laconically refused, saying that his own deeds will suffice for people to remember him.

385
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/41851/Aton

212
 Above: The Colossus of Mt. Atos

Attis – ancient Phrygian (thus Brygian) shepherd god, been born of a virgin mother on December
25th, being killed and resurrected after 3 days. Attis is the incestuous son of Cybele in her form as the
virgin, Nana, who is impregnated by the divine force in the form of a pomegranate. Moreover, at times
the young Attis was merged with Mithra (see below), whose birthday was traditionally held on
December 25th and with whom he shared the same Phrygian capped attire. The “December 25th” or
winter-solstice birth of the sun god is a common feature in several cultures around the world over the
past millennia. As already mentioned before, it was the celestial birthday of Zagreus, Leivino Dionis,
Orus/Horus, Mitra, Sol Invictus, Jesus, etc.
Axiy or Axios – the archaic river god of the homonymous river, today known as river Vardar in
Macedonia. Etymology of Axios/Axos - „wood, timber‟ survived in today modern Macedonian words
“Les/Lesky”- woods, and/or “Daska/daski” - flat pieces of wood (hence „dash‟ too). Pelagon was his son
(by Periboia) according to Homer (Iliad 21.141; Apollodorus E4.7)386 Maybe the original name of
Samothracian Axiero.
Briarey (Lat. Briareus)387 the ‟50-strong‟, also called Aegaeon (i.e. „Aegean‟, clear Macedonic
appellation) – a Titan (Giant) with 50 heads and 100 hands*, a demigod; among Brygians (later
Phrygians in Asia Minor) he was one of the „100-handed ones‟ that according to Hesiod fought against
the Titans. Hesiod's „Theogony‟ (624, 639, 714, 734–35) also reports that the three Hecatoncherakles, or
Storakite (100-handed ones), Briarey, Kot and Gig, became the guards of the gates of Tartarus.

386
http://www.makedonski.info/search/pelagon
387
Comparable to the Dionisiac „Brauronia‟, a quinquennial festival (held every 50 years).

213
According to one myth Briarey became the son-in-law of Poseidon (i.e. Adonis/Dionis), who gave him
"Kymopoliea („Godfathers-gray‟) his daughter to wed". But Hesiod‟s is obviously just another
Interpretatio Graeca, a Metathesis of their role. Originally in Virgil's „Aeneid‟(10.566–67), they fought
on the side of the Titans rather than the Olympians; and Aeneas is likened to one of them (to Briareus,
known here as Aegaeon); Virgil too was following the lost Corinthian epic „Titanomachy‟ rather than
the more corrupted account of Hesiod.388 Other accounts make Briareoy (or Aegaeon) one of the
assailants of Olympus. After his defeat, Briarey/Aegaeon was buried under Mount Aetna.
*It is a legitimate assumption to explain these “50 headed and 100 handed Titans” as a real combat
units made of 50 men, probably a Brygian tribesmen-warriors organized in a tight formation squadrons.
The story of these hard to defeat legendary Macedonic „Berzerkers‟ from the distant past reached our
days transformed into supernatural beings through the fantastic mythological hyperbolization of
countless generations of story tellers and oral traditions.
Vedu [“Ve” - stands for “Veliki” - „Grandmaster‟ (of the) “du(h)” - „soul, breath‟] – according to
Neanthes of Kuzik (Lat. Kysikenos) Vedu was the life-breathing deity to which Macedonians prayed for
mercy of them and their children. But, Clement from Alexandria claims that Vedu (hence Voda - water)
was Macedonic-Phrygian word for water, and strong watery cult was truly testified among both the
Macedonians and local Macedonic tribe of Brigyans (that later settled as Phrygians in Asia Minor).
Watery demigods as Sileni and Nymphs constituted great part of the mythological panorama in
Macedonian Pantheon. Toponyms as Edessa (i.e. Voden in plain Macedonian) make strong case to this
claim. In the northeast (in what is now Bosnia and Croatia) Silen (Lat. Silenus) became the supreme god
known as Silvan (Lat. Silvanus), imagined as hairy male being with goat legs and horns. Probably just
another of the many versions of the primordial Horned God. His companion Thana (Lat. Diana) was
goddess of hunting with an arrow in her hand. Over 300 monuments dedicated to them were found all
over Bosnia. Silen was undoubtedly a resemblance of the similar Macedonic minor deity, testified on the
numerous ancient Macedonian coins.
Vendida (latinized Bendida) – was attested in the valley of the river Strumon (today Struma) in
eastern Upper Macedonia. From here through the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemy she was introduced in
Egypt, where a Macedonic temple dedicated to her was built near Alexandria. Her influence was
recorded also in the region of Bithynia in Asia Minor, where the local Macedonian community of
Bithyni, originally from the Strumon valley, settled.
Vika / Βικα(ο)389, Σθινγα(ο) Μακεδονε(ο) („Vika, the Sphinx of Macedonians‟ according to
Hesychius; also found as Φηγα and/or Φηθα)390 – a mythological creature that has head and torso as
human and body of a lion, often winged. It ask's (i.e. „Vika‟ - Yells) questions, which puzzle the
misfortunate passengers. From the particular way of formulating „Question‟ in vernacular Macedonian

388
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanomachy_(epic_poem)
389
In Antiquity the letters U and V were previous and interchangeable with B, as also L and R
which have been rather confused before they became clearly differentiated. Thus we have Dunav
for Danube, Vizant for Byzant, etc.
390
Lexicon: cum notis doctorum virorum integris, Volume.1 by Hesychius (Alexandrinus.)
https://books.google.mk/books?id=ttRCAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA727&lpg=PA727&dq=%CE%B2%
CE%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%82+Hesychius&source=bl&ots=-
HuuHRc8xm&sig=ACfU3U1VIduMGZmvRreCM8AQ3DW83BjsnQ&hl=mk&sa=X&ved=2ah
UKEwi57qHEi5PsAhV88eAKHbtlAv4Q6AEwAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=%CE%B2%CE
%B9%CE%BA%CE%B1%CF%82%20Hesychius&f=false

214
language: “Što vika?” - „What (he/she‟it) says/asks?”, but otherways the plain meaning of “Vika” is
„yelling‟.391 And, if someone puts your statement in question, or he is amased about it, he/she will
exclaim “Vikash?” The closest paragon in plain English will be „Say what?‟ From here, “Vika”,
corrupted by latinization of the original sound V into B, it also refracted into “Buka” - „loud noise,
clamour‟.392 Oddly enough, today exists “Wicca”393, a “religious” cult of modern witchcraft, which uses

this ancient Macedonic theonym; founded in England in the mid 20th century claims its origin in pre-
Christian pagan religion, esp. an initiatory tradition.

Volgano / Φόλγανορ – according to Hesychius the ancient Macedonian religion had many deities,
some of which were only worshiped by individual Macedonian tribes. And Volgano(s) was according to
him the Macedonian river-god worshiped in Imathia (i.e. Emathia), an ancient region of Lower
Macedonia. As obvious chthonic deity it is probably one and the same with the Etruscan Vel/Velx,
Velhans/Velxan - god of the underground fire. Thus Macedonian Volgano (Koine: Φολγανορ) must‟ve
given the birth of the Latin Vulcanus too. Its watery theonym implies possible relation to the name of
river Volga as well, probably given by one of the Macedonian tribes, which are mentioned by various
sources when they migrated northward after the Roman invasion of Macedonia.

391
http://www.makedonski.info/search/vika#%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0/%D0%BD%
D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B2
392
http://www.makedonski.info/search/buka
393
https://wiccaliving.com/what-is-wicca/

215
 Vran (Vrana,Vranec, Gavran; Lat. Phoroneus) – Raven-god, in Latin „Phoroneus‟, which have also
been a title of Cronus, with whom the crow and the alder are also associated, and therefore the Titan of
the 7th Day (Lat. Domenica, Mkd. Nedela, anglicized Sunday), thus pointing to his solar attributes, with
time deviated into something else by the later mythology. Also noted as a divine emblem of Apolon. In
Macedonian it is also an etymon for “black stallion”, used as name for a variety of Macedonian dark-red
wine - Vranets; found also as Gaulic-latinized raven god Bran394 or Vron.

Vō – the primordial supreme creator Sky-god; homonymous to Scandinavian Vodin (i.e. Odin).
Interchangeable with Gō. The syllable “Vō” has a very special votive significance, and it is not by
chance that is the root word for Latin-anglicized “Triumph” – from Koine-corrupted form ζξίακβλν(ο)395
i.e. ThriamVo(s) – "Triple-Vō".396 As “Bogo Vō” was the highest Supreme Creator-God, grand-
grandfather of all other gods, so, it is no wonder that his Syllabic theonym Vō was invoked 3-times. The
double-triple appellations was common feature of the syllabic language of archaic period – Is-Is, Ma-
Ma, Ba-Ba, Da-Da, etc.
Voda (Vedi/Bedi/Bedu) – god/goddess of the waters.
Voltumna – a god or goddess (maybe a hermaphrodite deity) of the wisdom and advice; accordingly
her name is derived from the Macedonic suffix-noun umna397 [feminine] - „clever, rational‟ in plain

394
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Br%C3%A2n_the_Blessed
395
https://translate.google.com/#view=home&op=translate&sl=el&tl=en&text=%CE%B8%CF%81
%CE%AF%CE%B1%CE%BC%CE%B2%CE%BF%CF%82
396
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=triumph – Important Note: the Koine “β” is NOT the
same to Latin “B”, but to “V”! Listen the above Google Translate translation.
397
http://www.makedonski.info/advsearch/%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%B0?where=lexem,d
erivation,flexion&position=start

216
Macedonian (see also razumna)398 which underlines her/his attributes of wisdom. A god with strange
and contrasting features, primordial Voltumna was represented sometimes as a maleficent monster, at
others as a god of vegetation; of uncertain sex, or as a great war-god/goddess. We have here a typical
example of the process of the regionalization and folkloristic transformation of originally one and the
same chthonic deity. She/he even became the supreme god of the Etruscan pantheon, the Deus Etruriae
Princeps, according to Varro. At the Fanum Voltumnae a festival of Ludi (i.e. Crazy) were held, the
precise nature of which, whether apotropaic, athletic or artistic, is unknown. In the Roman Forum, near
the Temple of Castor and Pollux stood a shrine dedicated to Voltumna in the Vicus Tuscus. She/He was
the equivalent of the later Roman Vertumnus - the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as
gardens and fruit trees. She/he could‟ve change form at will using this power, according
to Ovid's „Metamorphoses‟ (XIV). Varro was convinced that Vortumnus was Etruscan and a major
god. This originally Macedonic-Pelasgian cult arrived in Rome very late, around 300 BCE.

Gaia – goddess Earth herself; from “Gai ” - „nurtures‟ in plain Macedonian, but also “Guia” -
„(poisonous) snake‟, as the snakes are chthonic animal that are in direct relation with the earth. Zodiacal
sign Virgo.
Gyga, Gygaia (later syncretized with Athena enchorios - „native Athena‟) – War-goddess protector
of the royal court. Homer mentiones the Maionian warlords from the Lake Gygaie, which goes in as
confirmation of the claim of the Maionians as direct relatives to Paionians. Zodiacal sign Aries.
Geazora [Gea + Zora (dawn); also Gozoria] – a goddess of hunting equated with Artemida (Lat.
Artemis); also a theonym of the ancient Paionian city of Gozoria, paragonable to Belazora („White-
dawn‟), another ancient city in Upper Macedonia. According to mythology she spent the childhood
together with her brother the Young Sun Apolon in Hyperborea (i.e. Upper Macedonia). Zodiacal sign
Cancer.

398
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0
%B0

217
 Danaon (or Davlion/Davlo) – the god of death; from PIE root *dhau- to „suppress or slay‟; “Davi”-
„strangles/drowns‟ in plain Macedonian; Phrygian “kun dαvlο”399 - „dog strangler/choker‟ and “daos” -
wolf; Koine: Thaulos/Thanatos; Dacian: Kundaon, Kan-daon (from Macedonic diminutive “Kunče”/Lat.
„Canis‟- dog/wolf, and Macedonic verb „davi‟ - strangles); the mythological wolf-god. His Koine
appellation is obviously later interpretation of the animal-emblem of the god Makedon; comparable to
Egyptian Anubis.
Darron – Macedonic demigod or „daemon‟ to whom Macedonians prayed for health and healing.
Macedonic etymology reveals his attributes, as „Dar‟ in plain Macedonian is „gift‟, thus Darron is the
„Giver‟, he who gives (health or beneficence). Maybe related to Mesopotamian Dagon.
Dea Pasikrata [the „Almighty-One‟; from “Pa” - „high(est), upper‟, “Si(te)” - „all‟, and “kratia” -
„rule‟]400, or Artemida/Aphrodite Pasikrata – an almighty goddess that was witnessed on the ancient
inscriptions in the city of Bitola, and in Thessaly as clear Macedonic influence. A syncretized almighty
queen of the underworld, identified with „Aphrodite of the dead‟. As „Artemis-Enodia‟ she was the
terrible infernal goddess of ghosts and drugs.

Dionis/Adonis, Leivino Dionis [“Dio-ni-is”, a corrupted form of Old Macedonic “Dedo-ni-Se” -

„Grandfather of us the Star/Sun‟]401 / Λειβηνο(ο) ό Γιόνςζο(ο) [„Leivino or Dionis of Macedonians‟
according to Hesychius] – “Lei ” - to „pour‟, to put into a glass, “Vino ” - „wine‟. Dionis was the Bull-
horned god of wine among all, and ancient Macedonians were largely famous as heavy drinkers. This
celebrated Wine-god and solar deity of the fertility and wine, lord of the wild beasts, hunt and orgies,
was also the mythological father of Macedon. He is the old Macedonian Psevdanor and/or Ares, the
Paionian Dyalos/Dyaus402; Hittite Istanu/Tarun (later Perun)*, Carthaginian Don, Syrian Tamuz,

399
“Kuna”[archaic] - „weasel/bear‟; “Kuče” - „dog‟ in today Macedonian (corrupted form of
outdated “Kunče” [diminutive] - „small weasel/bear‟).
400
“Kroti” - „subdues, tames, dominates/domesticates‟ in today plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kroti. The corrupted form “krati(a)” may refer to the
shortening (Mkd. “krati”) of the rope while taming a wild animal, a verb which is maybe the root
word for “Kroti” too: http://www.makedonski.info/search/krati
401
Zē – Macedonic syllable that marks the Sun (Lat. Zeus); hence „Zenit‟ too. In today
Macedonian “Sonze” http://www.makedonski.info/search/sonce
402
Note that the letter /Y/ originally was pronounced /U/, so „Dyaus‟ is actually pronounced
„Dooauš‟, directly related to „Douh/Douša‟ which in plain Macedonian means „Spirit/Soul‟. Thus
“Dionis” literally means “Duh-naš” – the „Spirit-of-ours‟; see also Dyaus Varuna.

218
Brygian/Phrygian: Atis and/or Sabazius/Salvazius403, and Zagreus from the days of primitive hunters -
ultimate predecessor of the later classical Leivino Dionis, mentioned as the highest of all gods. He was
also known as the Esmun i.e. “Osmion” - the „Eight-one‟ in plain Macedonian. In Egyptian he was the
Osiris and/or Thoth (hence again the Latin “Ohto”, later “Oto” - „eight‟ in today Italian), Serapis, Sirius;
he was also Mitra and Apolon, and Latin: Dionysus/Bacchus; later Macedonic sun god Yarr/Yarrilo,
and/or woods-god Veles; and finaly abused by Christianity and deformed into Santa Klaus and/or Jesus
Christ. He is associated with the mystical number 8, Zodiacal sign of Taurus. In order to reveal his
multifarious function and appearance(s) we must cite here once again how Menander Rhetor epideictic
praised the sun god Apolon Sminthios in the late 3rd century:
“By what names shall I address you? Some call you Lydian, some Delian, some Ascraean, some
Actian. Others call you Amyclaean, the Pelasgians Patroos, the Milesians Branchiate. You control
every city and land and nation. You control the whole inhabited earth … The Persians call you
Mithras, the Egyptians Orus (Latinized: Horus), the Macedonians Ares, the Thebans Dionys, the
Delphians honour you by the double name of Apollo and Dionys … The Chaldaeans call you the
leader of the stars (Dzevs404).”
* As the Macedonic-Hittite divinity of the sun and sky he appears to have long survived at Doliche in
Macedonian kingdom of Commagene. The combination of the bull with the thunderbolt as emblems of
the deity suggests that the animal may have been chosen to represent the god for the sake not merely of
its virility but of its voice too; for in the peal of thunder primitive man may well have heard the
bellowing of a celestial bull. And the lion/panther underline his affinity with the Earth Mother Goddess.

403
His Phrygian name was later adopted by the Romans as the name for Silvanus (Lat. Silvaticus -
„of the woods‟; from silva - „a wood‟), and through Old French was corrupted into „sauvage‟ and
finally „savage‟ in today plain English, as a synonym for the animal force of nature.
404
Metathesis of “Dzvezda” – „star‟ in plain Macedonian:

219
 Dea Almopia – was noted as goddess from Mt. Pangea.

Above: an ancient Macedonian coin with Silen on the obverse

Dioskuri, Dioskouri – Upper Macedonia name for the Great Gods of Samothrace (Kabiri/Kaviroi);
actually misinterpreted (and latinized) form of „God's of (Sacred) Double-Axe‟ ('Scure' in Latin).
Primordial demigods and chthonic metalworkers related with the underground fire.

220
 Drakon and Drakayna – serpentine gods of healing and vital energy.
Dze [Dyaus; Dzeus/Dius-pater, hence Jupiter (Roman); also Koine-corrupted Dzevs/Zeus, later
Svarog] – the all-seeing sun-god (the very root of the word “See” in English), god of the morning light
and sunlight itself, god of the summer and weather; he is the giver of the life fire and the smith god, and
further linked with marriage. Probably just another theonym for Dyaus/Dionis; in Latin Sol Invictus.
According to tradition, he lives on the mountain that separates Macedonia and Thessaly, and which
came to be known as Olymp, and where the storm clouds are said to gather. He is a weather god
paralleled to the Sumerian Iškur, Hittite Tešub, and Semitic Hadad. He rules the clouds and rain,
delivers lightning and hurls thunderbolts forged by the one-eyed Cyclopes, the thunderbolt being his
invincible weapon. Homer pictures him carrying the golden scales of justice. Nevertheless, his hidden
original identity is revealed by his companions. Namely, as from his birth Dzeus is surrounded by
attendant youthful warriors known as Kouretes or Koryvantes. They discover his original identity, that
of the Horned God, or Leivino Dionis, of whome the Koryvantes i.e. „Ivy- bearers‟ were known priests:
“Koryvantes” (from “Korov” - „weed‟ in plain Macedonian - ivy and other invasive plants, all generally
defined as „weed‟).405 Alike the Horned God and/or Leivino Dionis, he is possessed of enormous sexual
vigor and sired a vast number of offspring through an incessant parade of Dionisiac orgiastic immortal
and mortal female partners.
Favlo (Favlos) – god of war, reported as Macedonian war-god Thaulos by Hesychius. Probably just
another corrupted name of Thanatos/Danaos/Davlion/Davlo.
Enodia, Artemida Enodia (Hecate, Persephone, Etruscan Proserpina) – goddess of roads and
crossroads, comparable to Elen of the roads mentioned in the Introduction, but also goddess of death
(Dea Pasikrata); she evolved slowly into national goddess of Macedonia and Thessaly. Her name
reveals unmistakable Macedonic etymology, and her cult was autonomous until the late Roman period
and the event of Christianization in 4th century. At Thebes of Phthiotis or Pagassai, Enodia Patroa, was
worshipped as the national goddess. At the city of Larissa, she was worshipped as Enodia Astike. As

405
https://recnik.off.net.mk/recnik/makedonski-
angliski/%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2*

221
Enodia Stathmia, she was worshiped at the city gates paired up with Hecate. As Enodia Mykaike406 she
is associated with the underworld and related to Adonai/Poseidon and earthquakes, and acted as the
goddess of the funeral rites (Sophocle, “Antigone”, 1199), and as the goddess of cemeteries and ghosts
(Euripide, “Ion” 1048–52); as Enodia Alexeatis she is an apotropaic character. And of course, she was
largely worshipped in her homeland Macedonia. At Pella as Beroea-Hosia, Eordaia, Derriopos, Elimeia,
and Mygdonia she was the goddess who supervised purification rites and burial customs. Thus she was
related to Ade or Pluton as well. Timarete of Corinth, who died in Pella, Macedonia in the late 5th
century BCE, is the only attested priestess of this goddess.
The Horse and the Dog were animals sacred to Enodia, which leads to inescapable conclusion that
she was just another version of the Great Mother Goddess Mō/Ma i.e. Go-le-Ma. On a coin from Pherai,
Thessaly, the head of Enodia on the body of a dog is seated below the Hypereia (Eupereia) spring. This
coin was circulated during the 4th century BCE, at the height of the Macedonian empire. The goddess
and a dog are shown on a marble votive relief from Larissa, Thessaly, also dated to the 4th century BCE.
On a marble votive relief from Krannon, Thessaly (360–350 BCE), a torch bearing Enodia is
accompanied by both a horse and a dog. From Perseis, modern Debrešte (R. of Macedonia), two
terracotta busts of Enodia dated after 183 BCE show her with a horse, and a dog jumping over her
shoulder. On a marble inscribed relief votive (2nd century BCE) from the area of Exochi village,
Eordaia, the goddess is escorted by her sacred animals, a dog and a horse (Museum of Koţani, Aegean
Macedonia). Also from Exochi is an inscribed marble altar with a hunting scene involving hare and dog,
also dated to the 2nd century BCE. A seated dog is shown with the goddess on a marble statue dated to
classical times from Pella, Macedonia (Archaeological Museum of Pella). Enodia and a dog are shown
in relief on a marble altar from Mygdonia, Macedonia (Archaeological Museum of Solun). From
Elimeia, the village of Ayia Paraskevi, in Macedonia, comes a marble votive relief showing the goddess
astride a horse, with a dog walking in front of them (Museum of Koţani). Finally, on a statue which is
dated to c. 300 BCE, two dogs are seated with two women who are facing each other; one of whom is
likely Enodia (Museum of Louvres).
Enyo (Lat. Enyalius) – goddess or god of the battles, daughter/son of Macedonic god Ares, and/or

406
“Muka” - „anguish‟ in plan Macedonian.

222
also equated or epithet of Ares407. Dionis, too, is said to have been surnamed Enyalius. Yet again it is
most probably just another name and mutaded form descended from the Great Mother Goddess Mō/Ma
and/or Dea Pasikrata, Enodia, Artemidi, etc.

407
Ares - the Macedonic God of war; note the Macedonian etymology from “Jarec” (pronounced
„Iarets‟, koine-corrupted „Ares‟) – „Capricorn‟; the prophet Daniel describes Macedonia under
the emblem of a Goat with one horn, and it is therefore of great consequence that this symbol
should be proved to be that proper to Macedonia; the following observations on an ancient

223
 Evropa (from Æropoi) – is yet another deity whose ethnonym is attested in Hesychius Glossary,
where he testifies the homonymous Macedonian tribe of Aeropes (or Aeropians) which probably
received their name after their king Aerop I (Koine: Æropos). According to other traditions she was the
lost sister of Kadmo (Lat. Cadmus) the Phoenician, founder of the second Thebes (on the Ionian Sea
coast). Evropa was also known as Phoenician moon goddess Astarte or Ashtaret, with the crescent
horns, wooed by the sun god, whose symbol was the bull. In Homer she is the daughter of Phoenix and
Echoea, etc. How and why this name became the name of the continent Europe no one knows.

Above: Evropa riding on a bull

symbol of Macedon, by Taylor Combe, Esq. F.A.S. will be found useful: " I had an opportunity
of procuring an ancient bronze figure of a goat with one horn, which was the old symbol of
Macedon ... It was dug up in Asia Minor, and brought into this country by a poor Turk. Not only
many of the individual towns in Macedon and Thrace employed this type, but the Kingdom itself
of Macedon, which is the oldest in Europe of which we have regular and connected history, was
represented also by a Goat, with this particularity, that it had but one horn." From the
"Dictionary of the Holy Bible" by Augustin Calmet, p.648. As confirmation of this claim is the
famous inscription of Alexander III of Macedon in conquered Athens, which reads: "If thy
strength had only been equal to thy purposes, Demosthenes, never would the Athens have been
ruled by a Macedonian Ares." See also “The impact of Ares Macedon on Athenian sculpture”
by Olga Palagia and Stephen V. Tracy. Also Pan, a god of flocks and herds was worshiped in
the form of Goat.

224
 Erakles (“E raklest” - „Is strong-handed, rakish‟ in plain Macedonian)408 – deified hero and great-
grandson or half-brother of Perseus. In his 6th book Erodot (Lat. Herodotus) has the following
perplexing passage on the matter: “The Persians affirm that Perseus was an Assyrian by birth, becoming
afterwards a „Greek‟(?), although none of his ancestors were of that nation.” Thus, it can be presumed
that he was of oriental origin; nonetheless his epithet-name “Erakles” is of clear Macedonic redaction,
denoting his worship in Macedonia too. He became the god-ancestor of the Macedonian kings.
Alexander the Great had an image of him incorporated into his coinage. The heroic type of Sandan (or
Erakles), as he is portrayed on the coins of Tarsus, is that of an Asiatic deity standing on a lion. From
these representations we can form a fairly accurate conceptlon of the form and attributes of the god.
They exhibit him as a bearded man standing on a horned and often winged lion. Upon his head he wears
a high pointed cap or mitra, and he is clad sometimes in a long robe, sometimes in a short tunic. On at
least one coin his feet are shod in high boots with flaps. At his side or over his shoulder are slung a
sword, a bow-case, and a quiver, sometimes on lion or two of them. His right hand is raised and
sometimes holds a flower. His left hand grasps a double-headed axe, and sometimes a wreath either in
addition to the axe or instead of it but the sacred double-headed axe is one of Sandan‟s most constant
attributes, thus relating him with the Earth Goddess.
The core of the story of Eracles has been identified by Walter Burkert as originating in Neolithic
hunter culture and traditions of shamanistic crossings into the netherworld. It is possible that the myths
surrounding Eracles were based on the life of a real person or several people whose accomplishments
became exaggerated with time.
Hestia, i.e. Estia [Roman Vesta] – goddess of hearth and household; yet another syncretized
manifestation of the Great Mother Goddess Mō or Ma. Persian: Astarte, Scythian: Tabiti, Zodiacal sign:
Capricorn.

408
http://www.makedonski.info/search/raka, https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=rakish

225
 Illiy, Ill (Illion/Illios) – a Titan deity, the sun itself, the God of the Sun, probably another name of Bo-
Gō-Vō or Dyaus Pitar/Papaius. Mentioned by many ancient sources, celebrated even today as St. Illia
(St. Elijah/Elias/Ilias the Thunderer), he is one of the oldest known primordial gods whose name
survived until today. Babylonian Ilou, supreme deity.
Ira [Latin: Hera]409 i.e. Irene/Zeirene – here we have once again one of the many regional
names/atributes of the syncretized Great Mother Goddess, which gave the birth to a miriad of "different"
godessess (Luta, Gea, Hera/Rhea, Hestia, Mathera, Demeter, etc.), different variations of the same
powerful goddess; a sister of Dze(us) and a daughter of Cron(us) and Rhea (probably a simple
metathesis of the later, meant for the diversification of the Semitic Danaan's pantheon).
Isis – imported goddess Isis became the tutelary deity of the city of Philippi, and she was
worshipped in Dion under the name Isis Locheia (Protector of Women in Childbirth). Statuettes of Isis
assimilated to the personification of Tyche (Fortune) are the single most numerous kind of religious
dedication found in excavations in northern Macedonia. The popularity of Egyptian deities among
Macedonians can be attributed to a number of factors, including the fact that Macedonians as a group

409
Roman version, meaning 'rage' in today plain Italian.

226
were much more deeply involved in the Near East than other ethnic groups from Macedonian
Peninsula. The connection between the Isis cult and the hope of a happy afterlife, and the openness to
foreign religious beliefs and practices.
Kabiri or Kaviroi (Lat. Cabeiri) – the Great Gods or Cabeiri from Samothrace were the (evil) titans
of fire, who shaked the earth and expelled fire from the depths of the earth and the sea. The
Cabeiri/Kaveiroi were the protectors of sailors, the solvers of calamities and daemons who punished
perjury and profanity. Earthquakes and fires were attributed to them.
Krio [Lat. “Crios” - „cold‟] – one of the Titans, father of the wind Astrei. 410 His name “Krie” in plain
Macedonian means „Hides‟, which is what precisely happens when snow and ice hides the land during
the winter.411
Kotis [Latin: Kotys] and Kotida – Aedonic deities; maybe just another Latinized name of the Titan
Kot. Today still in use as a personal name in Macedonia.
Leto – 'Summer' in plain Macedonian, daughter of Macedonic Titans and Hyperborean goddess par
excellence; according to Diodorus she was born in Hyperborea and then transfered to Lycia. Roman:
Latona; Bouto (the 'Fool Moon') in the Egyptian pantheon.
Luta – goddess of anger, as recorded in Homer.412
Macedon – mythical forefather god and theonym of the Macedonians. He was the son of Dionis.
Maia – chthonic or earth goddess.413
Mitra – shepherd sun-god; yet another cult derived from the Orpheic, Dionisiac, and other mysteries;
deity Mitra appears early in the historical records of the original proto-Macedonic/Hittite/Phrygian
pantheon. For the first time it appears on clay tablets records found in Hittite capital city of Hatuša
around 1380 BCE. In a peace treaty between the king of the Hittites and the Mitani king, as god-
protector of treaties he is invoked among other Aryan deities to honor the contract between two rulers.
He was one with Attis, the mythical son and the consort of Kubaba/Kibela/Cybele. Thus his birthday
was on 25th December too. Directly related to the celestial-bull cult and its annual sacrifice for
fertilizing the earth and stipulating the agreement with gods.

410
Hesiod, Fragmenta & Theogonia, p. 378.
411
http://www.makedonski.info/search/kraj
412
The very same word, Luta, even today still means „she-angry‟ in plain Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/luta
413
Originally, in pre-Homeric times, a mountain spirit. Possibly origin of the name for the month
of May.

227
 Above: Mitra (wearing typical Phrygian hat) slays the bull within the Zodiacal ring, with
the inscription and portrait of Silenus/Silvanus on the left side of the ring

Macedonian campaign of Alexander III of Macedon in the east largely contributed to the expansion of
the Macedonic Mitra worship and popularity. “It was undoubtedly during the period of moral and
religious fermentation provoked by the Macedonian conquest that Mithraism received approximately its
definitive form.”414 As protector of the warriors he was widely accepted by Macedonian soldiers and
worshiped among Alexander‟s feared Phalankas. When after 8 years of war campaign in Asia the
Macedonians returned back home they spread further the Mitra‟s cult in Europe too. The continuity of
his worship is also confirmed in the post-Alexander era, in the Macedonic successor kingdoms. As in
Macedonic-Persian kingdom of Commagene, where Mitra was worshiped in continuity in following
centuries of the common era. As of the late 1st century AD it continues to be worshiped in Phrygia and
the rest of Asia Minor; it was promptly adopted by Roman soldiers stationed there, and by them was
distributed like a forest fire across the Roman empire. The main reason why the Mitraism became and
remained exclusively mail-practiced cult is precisely the simple fact of the worshipers that were

414
“The mysteries of Mitra” by Franz Cummont.

228
predominantly soldiers. Nevertheless, Mitra‟s unmistakably Phrygian hat, his pure Macedonic name415,
and gods close relation with Silen (Lat. Silenus/Silvanus), as well as other attributes, underline his
original Macedonic nature, regardless of the fact that his cult transformed into a Roman-styled
admixture of Pelasgo-Macedonic-Phrygian, Zodiacal, and Zoroastrian traditions from the immediate
neighborhood - all of which indistinctively centered around the universal Mediterranean rite of
Dionisiac frenzy and sacrifice of the sacred bull. Cumont writes: “it is certainly during the period of the
moral and religious fermentation promoted by the Macedonian conquest, that Mitraism received its
more or less definitive form”.
An exceptional showcase of the undisputed Mitraic worship among the Macedonian soldiers was the
Mitra's most recognizible symbol, that mark of undisputed power of acting without the constraint of
necessity or fate, and benchmark of the unchalenged reliance par excellence - the typical “Phrygian”
(i.e. Macedonian) helmet of the falankas of Filip II and Alexander III of Macedon. Bare naked evidence

Above: Macedonic “Phrygian” helmets from the 4th century BCE; its shape was a
universal symbol of undisputed freedom and firm reliance among the Macedonians, and a
distinguished mark of the oath between equals416

415
Still common as a mail name “Mitre” and/or “Mitar/Dimitar” in Republic of Macedonia, with
meaning “Durable, Persistent” (from the verb “trae” - „persists, lasts‟, thus “Mi-trae” -„it
persists (of/to) me‟).
416
Primus inter pares - Even the great Alexander was only the “first among equals”, according to
the ancient codex of behavior of the Assembly of Macedonians Under Arms.

229
which is in front of the eyes of everyone. Worn by the large majority of the Macedonian soldiers, so
called “Phrygian” helmet was a standard military equipment of the Macedonian Armies in 4th and 3rd
centures BCE. Macedonian helmet weird shape can hardly be explained as a technical improvement for
the mere protection, as using of so much additional material (Bronze) with its strange shape cannot be
justified with plausible structural excuse. Moreover, this more than obvious Mitra-fashioned military
ordnance is still intentionally neglected as de facto Mithraic. This heavy-duty version of the Phrygian
cap, and its widely recognised symbolic importance is altogether ignored by the modern scholarship and
politicaly biased historiographers.
However, reshaped and deliberately adopted by the Romans, Mitraism found its reinvigorated fame
as one of the main Latinized religious movements in the 2nd-4th centuries Roman empire. Shrines of
Mitra are commonly located close to springs or streams; fresh water appears to have been required for
some Mitraic rituals, and a basin is often incorporated into the Mithraeums structure.
Mō or Ma, also Enyo, Nana, Mokosh and/or Moma – the Great Mother Goddess, i.e. Go-le-ma417,
the remnant of the Neolithic Great Mother Goddess and mistress of the House. Worshiped from the
immemorial times, the Great Mother Goddess Mō or Ma was the most celebrated deity of the
Macedonians, theonym and ethnonym of Macedonia itself. The great goddess Mō/Ma was served long
after by a multitude of sacred harlots at Comana in Pontus, and crowds of men and women flocked to
her sanctuary from the neighboring cities and countries to attend the biennial festivals or to pay their
vows to the goddess. Zodiacal sign Taurus.
Nika – goddess of victory.
Nyx – primordial goddess of night, “Nok” in plain Macedonian. Her sons were the twin brothers
Ipnos (Lat. Hypnos) god of sleep, and Danaon, god of death.
Oinopion (i.e. Vinopion - „wine-drinking‟ in plain Macedonian) – one of the Leivino Dionis‟s sons.
Probably just another syncretism epithet of Macedon, the eponymous ancestor of the ancient
Macedonians according to various ancient fragmentary narratives. He gave his name to Macedonia,
previously called Emathia according to Strabo, which according to Marsyas of Pella was until then a
part of “Thrace”. According to Diodorus Siculus a son of Osiris, who has taken the place of Leivino
Dionis in his various myths and expeditions. According to Herodotus Osiris was the Egyptian Dionis
and the house of Ptolemies claimed descent from Leivino Dionis. According to Marsyas of Pella,
Makedon had by a local woman two sons Pierus and Amathus. In the “Ethnika” of Stephanus (perhaps
through Theagenes), sons and grandsons of Makedon are: Atintan (in the version of Lycaon)
eponymous of a region in Epirus or Illyria, Beres (father of Mieza, Beroea and Olganos, toponyms
in Bottiaea), Europus by Oreithyia daughter of Cecrops and Oropus, birthplace of Seleucus I Nikator ,
which is perhaps confused with Europus.
Oeagreus/Oeagrus (antonym Zagreus) – god of the dawn, father of Orpheus; “Ogrea” - „sun rising‟
in plain Macedonian.418
Orion („Mount-he‟) – god of the forests and hunt, one of the primordial Titans. Likely just another
avatar of the primordial Horned God. The myth of Orion‟s birth is perhaps more than a tale modeled
on that of Philemon and Baucis (Ovid: Metamorphoses), and told to account for the first syllable of his
ancient name Urion - which derived from Macedonic verb “Urni” - “crumble, destroy, fall down”,
which accordingly is the same root-word for another Macedonic verb “Vrni” (U to V transition) -
417
http://www.makedonski.info/search/golema
418
http://www.makedonski.info/search/ogrea

230
„rains‟ in plain Macedonian; hence Latin-anglicized “urine/urinate”, derived from the same Urni/Vrni
root. The Orion (i.e. Urion) was a son of Adonai/Poseidon, the chthonic water-god, another clear
allusion to his rain-making powers.
Orphei (Lat. Orpheus) – “Goro-pei” i.e. „Mountain-singer‟* or “Gore-pei” - „upstair-sings‟ in plain
Macedonian) god of poetry and music, as well as the writings. Legend tells that he made the trees
move and charmed the wild beasts. As sacred king he was proverbially struck by a thunderbolt, that is,

killed with a sacred double-axe, in an oak grove at the summer solstice, and then dismembered by the
Maenads of the Dionisiac bull cult, like Zagreus; or of the stag cult, like Actaeon; the Maenads, in
fact, represented the Muses. In a vase-painting of Orpheus‟s murder a Maenad has a small stag
tattooed on her forearm. Later Orphic priests, who wore Egyptian costume, called the demi-god whose

231
raw bull‟s flesh they ate „Dionis‟, and reserved the name Apollon for the immortal Sun, thus
distinguishing Leivino Dionis, the god of the senses, from Apollon, the god of the intellect. The
association of the lyre with the legendary prophet Orphei as well as with the oracular god Apollon also
explains why the head of Orphei was laid up in Dionis‟s sanctuary, but the lyre in Apollo‟s. Orphei did
not come in conflict with the cult of Leivino Dionis; he was Leivino Dionis, and he played the rude
alder-pipe, not the civilized lyre. Thus Proclus (in a commentary on Plato‟s „Politics‟) writes:
“Orpheus, because he was the principal in the Dionisian rites, is said to have suffered the same fate as
the god”, and Apollodorus credits him with having invented the Mysteries of Leivino Dionis.
* - See Homer form of Oros, Mountain; Macedonian adverb “Gore” - „up‟ is directly related to the
noun “Gora” - „mountain‟.
Ouran, Ouranos (Persian Zurvan)* – primordial god of heaven, the principle and supreme first
creator of everything; his ethnonym reveals the same - “O(u)-ran” - „The-early-one‟ in plain
Macedonian.419 He is also the Sky-father and creator of Gaia, with whom he engendered the twelve
beings collectively known as the Titans - six giant sons: Okean(os), Koe(os), Krie(os), Hyperion,
Iapet(os) and Kron(os), and six daughters - Klymene, Rhea, Thea, Thečiš (Lat. Thetis), Mnemosyne
and Phoebe.
* - his Persian name can find plausible explanation in Macedonian “Survan” - „downed, deposed‟.
Paean or Paiaon [“Opean” - „sang, glorified‟ in plain Macedonian] – war god mentioned by Homer
in the „Iliad‟. Probably just another heroic epithet of Ares/Orus/Horus.
Peito – goddess of seduction/persuasion, a minor attendant of the goddess Aphrodite; from “Pei” -
„Sing‟ in plain Macedonian + the Macedonic indefinite article “-to” (examples: Alexanderto,
Makedonto, Radioto, Roboto, Koloto, etc), a common Macedonian dialectical qualifier.
Priapo – fertility god, Phrygian; the son of Leivino Dionis and Aphrodite, he was also a guardian of
mariners. A significant deity in Macedonian Peninsula until very late times during the Macedonian
period, circa 4th to 2nd century BCE; only locally popular during the Roman period. He is particularly
known from Phrygia and is depicted as a satyr-like creature with pronounced genitals.
Priapo is probably just another local manifestation of one of the Great Gods Cabeiri/Kaveiroi (i.e.
Dioskouri). The indication that he was patron of the sailors relates him as one of the Dioskouri twins,
Polydeukes and Kastor (Latinized Pollux and Castor). According to tradition, Kastor is mortal while
Polydeukes is immortal. Thus, during battle, Kastor is mortally wounded but, even in death, the two
brothers remain inseparable. They rescue individuals from distress and danger, particularly at sea, and
are thought to be embodied in the electrical discharges known as St. Elmo’s Fire.
Serapis (i.e. Dze-Rа-Apis) – Serapis was originally based upon the amalgamation of the Macedonic
gods Leivino Dionis and Dze with the Egyptian gods Apis (the Sacred Bull), Ra, and Osiris, whose
names and cult practices underwent significant alterations under the guidance of the Ptolemies. The
Macedonized version of the Egyptian gods achieved considerable popularity as a healing and fertility
god, and his worship spread throughout the Aegean during the Macedonic kingdom in Egypt. One of
the most famous sanctuaries of Serapis (and other Egyptian deities including Isis) in the Macedonic
world flourished in Thessaloniki from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century AD. The significance of

419
http://www.makedonski.info/search/rano; for comparison see also “Ološ” - „lowlife, despicable
person(s)‟ in plain Macedonian: http://www.makedonski.info/search/oloш

232
this sanctuary is apparent from the fact that in 187 BCE Philip V sent a letter to officials in
Thessaloniki forbidding the use of its revenues for non-cultic purposes and spelling out penalties for
any attempt to do so (IG 10 2, 1.3). Evidently the cult had become wealthy enough to make it a
tempting target. The popularity of Egyptian deities among Macedonians can be attributed to a number
of factors, including the fact that Macedonians as a group were much more deeply involved in the
Near East than other ethnic groups from Macedonian Peninsula.
Sibila (Cybele, obvious Latin alteration) – „Samovila/Šemvila‟ in today modern Macedonian - „a
fairy‟, female semideity;
Sita – goddess of the (earth) abundance and fertility; from the adjective “Sit ” -„sate, satiated‟420 in
plain Macedonian; probably just another epithet-name of the primordial great mother goddess Mō or
Ma, (also Mokosh and/or Moma).
Strumon/Strymon – river god and/or king, son of Okeanus and Tečiš (Lat. Tethis), by the muses
Eutherpe and Kalliope he became father of Rhesus, and possibly of Olynthus and Braghas, and by
Neaera of Evadne.

Above: Horned head of the river-god Strymon, wearing wreath of reeds - MAKE-ΔONΩN,
ornate trident right, monogram at upper left and below

Thalassa – the Sea-goddess was another primordial Macedonic deity. Accordingly 'Talas' in plain
Macedonian even today means a 'wave'.421 She was scarcely personified, because her form was
elemental, the body of the sea itself. Thalassa was later depicted in Roman-era mosaics as a woman
half submerged in the sea, with crab-claw horns, clothed in bands of seaweed, and holding a ship's oar.

420
http://www.makedonski.info/search/sit#%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%82/%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%
B8%D0%B4
421
http://www.makedonski.info/search/talas

233
 Tečiš422 [Etruscan: Tecun, Latin-corrupted: Thetis] – water Titaness, she mainly appears as a sea
nymph, a goddess of water. Her name (“Flowing/Leaking”) again is of Macedonic origin, thus
underlining her origin as preolympic Titaness. According to mythology she was a mermaid,
surrounded by attendant sea creatures known as Nereids.
Titans and Titanesses – this is the Macedonian theonym for the primordial gods before the gods
(pre-Hellenic); their theonym has very clear metathesis from “Tatni” - „thunders‟ in plain Macedonian.
According to the Pelasgian myth, the Great Mother Goddess spawned 14 Titans, a pair for every
celestial body - Theia and Iperion for the Sun; Phoebe and Atlas for the Moon; Dione and Krius for
the planet Mars; Metis and Koeus for the planet Mercury; Themis and Eurymedon for the planet
Jupiter; Tethys and Oceanus for Venus; Rhea and Kronus for the planet Saturn. According to another
myth their pantheon was headed by the primordial sky god Ouranos (the “Early-one”) and the earth
mother Gea/Gaia.
Totoi – god/goddess of dreams and nightmares, a chimerical daemon composed by different animal
parts.
Touros/Taulos/Taumos - Θαςλο(ο) η Θαςμο(ο) Απηρ Μακεδονιο(ο) [„Taulos or Taumos is
Macedonian Ares‟ according to Hesychius] – was allegedly the Pelasgian name of Macedonian „Ares‟
(Latin: Mars, Egyptian Orus, latinized Horus, Hittite Taru/Tarhunt, Roman Taranis/Jupiter), the god
of war; also noted as Etruscan Tin/Tinia (later syncretized as Roman Saturn); it is most probably just
another etymological glitch between „Taur(us)‟, „Yarets/Ares‟ and/or Hittite/Aryan/Macedonic
thunderer, the primordial Sky-god known as Zurvan/Tharun/Perun, metathesis of Mesopotamian „Nin
Ur‟ or „Ninurta‟, in Sanskrit: Indra. In today Macedonian: Uriva;423 thus Uranus too, hence Latin
"Ta-urus" - 'bull' (one of the animal totems of Leivino Dionis too), actually from the descriptive-root

422
From Macedonian “Teči, Tek” – „flow, leak‟: http://www.makedonski.info/search/te%D1%87i,
http://www.makedonski.info/search/tek
423
http://www.makedonski.info/search/uriva

234
word *Ur- which denotes 'demolishing/dissipating' and/or 'crushing', as a description of the (Celestial)
bull terrific destruction force when charging, hence "Ta-Urus", "Hurrah", etc. The root syllable *Ur-
appears also in number of Macedonian words: "Uriva" - 'demolishes", "Urok" - 'bad say, curse" (but
also a 'lesson'), "Istura" - 'dissipates, pours down', “Rastura” - „disintegrates‟, etc.424 See also Italian:
Urto - „collision, impact‟.425

Xantus or Xandos – considered to be another Macedonic manifestation of the sun-god, of light

and fire; Istanu in Hittite; also found in the Etruscan pantheon as Usil 426 (or Usenya in Russia, hence

424
http://www.makedonski.info/search/istura
425
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/italian-english/urto ,
http://etimo.it/?term=urtare&find=Cerca
426
http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/327217/unknown-maker-applique-depicting-the-sun-
god-usil-etruscan-500-475-bc/

235
Uspenie in Christianity; or Isa in Sanskrit427), where he appears as rising from the sea too. Yet known
with another Etruscan-Macedonic name as 'Cautha', sometimes referred to as Cath (i.e. "Kat" - 'climb,
up' in plain Macedonian). Seen arrising (i.e. "Kateri") from the ocean. Indicative is the name of the
Macedonian sun-hat Kausia, actually from Macedonic noun "Usiyan" - 'incandescent'. But, he is also
the moon or 'shining' in Sanskrit: Canda428, thus Chandra in Hindi; and a Macedonian name for the
month of March/April – "Xandicus seu Xanthicus est mensis sextus calendarii Macedonici
regnorum".429 Also a mythological golden horse born from the sea. Posibly a distant reflection or yet

another avatar of the Hindu war god Skanda, first son of Shiva. Basically the word root of the
Alexander‟s epithetic name too – A-Le-Xand-Ro:
“A” – „1st‟, “Le” – votive particle, “Xand” – „sun‟, “Ro” – „kin/king‟.
Note: Generaly Az, As/Us (or Ah) are nothing else but different syllabic names of the sun. It is found in
Assyria and other countries generally. Accordingly As/Is-is was the Egyptian sun goddess.

427
http://sanskritdictionary.org/isa
428
http://sanskritdictionary.org/canda
429
https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calendarium_Macedonicum

236
 Above: Etruscan bronze figurine of the sun god Usil

Zeirene/Εειπην η Αθποδιηη εν Μακεδονια [„Zeirene is Aphrodite in Macedonia‟ according to

Hesychius]430 – goddess of beauty, love, and tranquility, equated to Aphrodite/Cybele/Kibela. Most
probably just another syllabic name/appearance of the primordial Great Mother Goddess (“Zee” - „sun,
sun-goddess‟ and „irene‟ - „tranquility, peace‟). But etymologically related also to “Zree” -
and/or“Z‟rno”431 - „grain‟ in plain Macedonian, and/or “Zreano” - „mature (fruit)‟; thus maturing –
“Zreene” in plain Macedonian432; Etruscan: Zirna/Zerera; Roman: Ceres Eleusina (see for comparison
also the “Creša” - „cherry‟ in plain Macedonian); hence „cereals‟, „create‟, „increase‟, and „crescent‟
too); but also “irene” - „calm, peaceful‟.433 Her Zodiac sign is Virgo. In all the polytheistic antiquity the
feast of Zeirene/Ceres Eleusina was most celebrated. The ceremonies of this festival were called, by
way of eminence, „the mysteries,‟ from being, according to Pausanias, “as much above all others, as the
gods are above the men.” Their origin and institution are attributed to Zeirene/Ceres herself, who, in the

430
Her name also resembles a Siren, a being similar to mermaid, born in the water, but the one of
the river/lake; beside the Macedonic etymology, her link with the watery element is clear
indication of the river cults from Macedonia. Accordingly, her later version, Aphrodite, was born
out of the (sea) foam.
431
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zrno
432
http://www.makedonski.info/search/zreen
433
https://www.behindthename.com/name/irene hence “Miren” - „calm‟ in plan Macedonian:
http://www.makedonski.info/search/miren

237
 Above: coin depicting Ceres, where PAN-SA an apocryphal syllables that stand for “Pangea
Sadi” - „All/Mistress (of the) Plants/Planting‟

reign of Erechtheus, coming to Eleusis, a small town of Attica, in search of her daughter Proserpine,
whom Pluto had carried away, and finding the country afflicted with a famine, invented corn as a
remedy for that evil, with which she rewarded the inhabitants. She not only taught them the use of corn,
but instructed them in making the bred out of it.
Hymns were sung in honor of the goddess, accompanied with dancing, and other extraordinary
marks of rejoicing. It was also a capital crime to divulge the secrets and mysteries of this feast. During
this festival it was prohibited, under very great penalties, to arrest any person whatsoever, in order to
their being imprisoned, or to present any bill of complaint to the judges. The initiations were often
restricted to women members. It was regularly celebrated every 5th year, that is, after a revolution of 4
years, and it is supposed to have been finally suppressed by Theodosius the Great, as were all the rest of
the polytheistic solemnities.

238
Ancient Macedonian mythology also had a myriad of Fauns, Nymphs („Pipleiai‟, „Thourides‟ in Pieria,),
Sileni, Satyrs, and other legendary creatures that were described by different ancient authors and
historiographers. There are several motifs that are reminiscent of ancient Macedonian mythology: the
griffon (mythological creature with lion body and head and wings of eagle); the lion (which existed in
ancient Macedonia and is frequently present in the Macedonian folk stories, as well as in heraldry); the
king with the horn (dedication to Alexander the Great); the lynx; the philosopher; the three brothers
(taken from Erodot story about the foundation of Macedonia); the cult of the water (seen in river-gods as
Erigon, Axios and Strumon), the sun, and many others. Thenafter there are many other mythological
creatures:
Baba Roga – old woman that is said to eat little children; practiced as a common terrifier for the little
children. It is most probably related to similar child-eating creatures found in all ancient pantheons, to
whome was allegated the dying or disappearance of children in the past ages.
Div and/or Gin (i.e. Giant) - a gigant or Titan (“Div” it also means „wild/untamed‟);
Kondžul/Karakondžul - dark-haired big head daemons with bright eyes;
Navi - demons created from the souls of born-dead childs;
Narečnici - invisible ghostlike mythological entities;
Noken - night (noќ) demon of the waters, lakes;
Samovila - fairy;

239
 Senište – shadow spirit from parallel dimension which intersects with ours; it appears on midnight;
Stia (plural Stii) – mermaid look-alike creatures which live in dead waters;
Talasami – damned places where someone is killed and buried by thieves;
Tsoglavtsi (Psoglavi) – dog-headed dwarfs that live in the beech‟s roots;
Vešterki – witches;
Železzubi – iron-teeth' daemons;
Zmei (and/or Lamya) - the Dragon ('Exhidna') is a mythological reptile that was hyperbolical allegory
of the snake - "Zmia" [pronounced 'Zmeeya']434 in plain Macedonian; comparable to the Hittite Illuyanka
(same etymological meaning as “Zmiya”)435 - the serpent god; and/or Egyptian Uraeus.

434
The very term for „Snake‟ in the Macedonian language is clearly chthonic/earthly, i.e. directly
related to the earth/ground - “Zemya” in plain Macedonian.
435
As “Ilovica” (a type of clayish earth) is just another Macedonic term for “Zemya” -
“earth/ground”: http://www.makedonski.info/search/ilovica ; thus again “Illuyanka” describes a
chthonic being that crawls close to the earth/ground.

240
 Above: Ancient mythological creatures from the Museum of Anatolian Civilization

The animal symbolism and transformations underlay all the principal mythologies before the ancient
period, and are older even than the Zodiac. The explicit example of such Macedonic mythological
creature is the demigoddess Totoi, a divine female daemon with prehistoric attributes of multiple
animistic motifs. This daemon of dreams and death (i.e. „eternal dream‟) is presented as a hybrid animal
with body of a lion and 3 heads - of female, crocodile and goat, wrapped with snakes and snake-tailed,
with scorpions between the legs, etc. Totoi appear to be the common mythological proto-archetype of
the Chimera, a later Etruscan version of obviously the same Hittite-Pelasgo-Macedonic creature. These
same prehistoric attributes (snakes, scorpions, etc.) are also present in the Macedonic-Phrygian cult of
Mitra. A Totoiti/Chimera has been found carved on the walls of a Hittite temple at Karčemish, and, like
such other composite beasts as the Sphinx and the Unicorn, originally have been a calendar symbol:
each component represented a season of the Queen of Heaven‟s sacred year.

241
 oni oni
Above: Totoiti, Teo (of) Dai M Ypnoi [“Goddess (of) the M(aked) Sleep”] – a goddess of
dreams and nightmares with prehistoric animistic attributes, and below: the (Etruscan) bronze
Chimera from Arezzo, Italy. 5th-4th century BCE

242
Nonetheless, Etruscans are attested as originally from Aegean, i.e. Macedonic population (see
Syromacedonians too) from the Asia Minor ancient region of Lydia, where they were known as
Tyrseni.436 Homeric name for the Lydians is Maiones, which can be compared homonymously only with
the Paiones, yet again just another Macedonian tribe par excellence. Later in Macedonic Cilicia the
divine bull is hunted down and killed by Mitra who is followed by the divine twins and by lion, dog,
snake and raven, a Totoes-like menagerie. This mixture of animals, and especially the snake and/or eel,
are all symbols of Dionisiac ecstasy, of man being changed to an animal of prey, a ferocious killer. Like
the snake raised along the spine (also chthonic attribute of the previously mentioned Great Mother
Goddess of the earth), or the raised tail, which are symbols of pure animal appeal and ecstatic Kundalini
power. In Čatal Hüyük (Turkey) the famous goddess enthroned with a leopards to her right and to her
left, also has the tails of the leopards raising along her back and coiling round her shoulders. Certainly
the raised tail same like the phallic horn(s) transmits a potent sexual appeal by itself, and is an important
symbol of attraction power personified by the goddess.

Above: another prehistory chimerical being - Hittite „Imdugud‟, an eagle with lionesses head

In preliterate epoch, by the time of Homer, word Thyrsus and its original meaning was nearly lost.
However, Homer gives us the pre- or non-„Greek‟ substitute word - Aigaion (Aίγαίων)437, using folk
etymology and interpreted it as "stronger than others”, while other historians just equate it with “Giant”

436
Of clear Macedonic etymology: Tursenoi > Thursene > Thersene - “Tersene” [nickname] - „heavy/dificult‟ in
plain Macedonian. The other meaning-possibility is again Macedonic, and offered by Homer – Thyrsus, using
folk etymology Homer gives us another pre- or non-„Greek‟ substitute word - Aigaion (Aίγαίων)436, interpreted it
as "stronger than others”, while other historians just equate it with “Giant” (Titan) and „father of gods‟, or the
Pelasgians from the land of Aigathyrsi (Aiγάθςπσοι), a country of the first deified ancient kings (Ωγενορ Aπσαiορ);
Radermacher also considered him to be a pre-„Greek‟ deity.
437
modern Macedonic Dţin (Cyrillic: Џин), Gigant; Italian Gigante; Arabic Jinn, Genie; etc.

243
(Titan) and father of gods, and Pelasgians from the land of Aigathyrsi (Aiγάθςπσοι)438, a country of the
first deified ancient kings (Ωγενορ Aπσαiορ). Radermacher also considered him to be a pre-„Greek‟
deity.
Presence of Tyrseni/Maionians (Thyrsenoi, Teucri, Thraci, Latinized: Etruscans, etc.) is confirmed
both in the ancient sources and through the archaeological artifacts, from Lower Danube in the northern
Balkans until the coasts of Asia Minor. From there they spread around Mediterranean and settled in
greater number as Etruscans on the western coast of the Apenninic peninsula. Etymology (origin) of this
word thyrs/đyrs/durs is based on its reference in the language which, to be believed, formed the Indo-
European language group in a territory through which flowed river Tyras/Dyras, i.e.
(Var)darias/Bardarios.439 This word means "Giant, Shaman/sorcerer” and “Titan", preserved as a relic
in Old High German (duris-es) and Old English (đyrs), with clear Macedonic etymology, and was
borrowed from Pre-Indo-European language substrate of the southern Aegean area. It also resembles the
word “thersene” – „difficult‟ in plain Macedonian.
The close relations and undeniable homogeneity of the Macedonic population around the Aegean
region also finds firm and undeniable evidence through archaic toponyms, as in the very obvious
example of yet another common name that survived until our days - Ionia / Ionian, is how the Persians
called Macedonia and the Macedonians: Yauna thus “Ionians” (i.e. “Yountsi” - „calfs, youngsters‟ in
plain Macedonian) and/or Yauna Takabara - „Ionians with hats‟. And according to the survived
toponymic evidence, this name from archaic times is found in the toponyms that stretch across the whole
northeastern Mediterranean area:

It was undoubtedly during the period of moral and religious fermentation provoked by the Macedonian
conquest that other oriental deities mixed with the autochthonous Macedonic ones. The cosmopolitan
policy of Alexander the Great removed the barriers between the Macedonians and their suzerains, and
paved the way for cultural unification in his vast Macedonic empire. Kingdoms that superseded him

438
Accordingly the first capital of Macedonia name was Aigai (or Aegae).
439
also found in the names of Macedonic gods Darron or Dardanus.

244
spread the Macedonian culture and civilization together with the Macedonic gods and beliefs beyond the
national boundaries. The inherited power and innate cosmopolitanism of the Alexander‟s generals, now
independent Macedonian kings, obliterated the separation between the conquering and the conquered
races in Persia and Egypt, and fuse their pantheons as well, if possible, into one. Macedonians were
favorably disposed towards the creeds of other nationalities under their dominion. Thanks to their broad-
mindedness and tolerance, which had become traditional in Macedonic kingdoms of Ptolem and Selevk
(Lat. Seleucus), Macedonic and Oriental culture could flourish side by side. Ancient sources are often
contradictory and the gods have been identified with a variety of Macedonian and Persian/Egyptian gods
based on supposed similarities. Nevertheless, their spread all over Mediterranean is attested by
numerous archaeological sites of great significance. The temple of the Samothracian gods at Seuthopolis
might probably be connected to the special interest of the Macedonian kings during the 4th and 3rd
century BCE. The inscription is indeed dated to the end of the 4th century BCE, and is the earliest
known example of an inscription mentioning the Great Gods outside Samothrace (Cole 1984, pp. 59-
60).440
As already mentioned above, an astonishing and undeniable example of the spread of Macedonian
religious influence and interactions between the Macedonic and other local gods is the one on the Mt.
Nemrud, in the Macedonic kingdom of Comaggene in Asia Minor. Here we found the testimony of
Macedonian king Antiochus the Great, son of the king Mithridates I Callinicus and queen Laodice VII
Thea of Comaggene (from the Macedonian dynasty of Seleucids), who erected an enormous sepulchral
tumulus with giant statues of gods and inscriptions on which is written as follows: “…all of the father-
gods of Macedonia, Persia and our own country of Comaggene will continue to bless their children and
their grandchildren…”

Above: graphic reconstruction of the giant statues in front of the enormous tumulus built by

440
“The Samothracian cult and the maritime world (4th century BCE - 2nd century AD)” by Dies
van der Linde, p. 6.

245
Antiochus the Great, Macedonian king of Comaggene. Mt. Nemrod, part of the Taurus range,
2nd century BCE

This interaction practice between Macedonic and others gods is also visible in the case of the Persian
creator Sky-god Ahura Mazda which met with the traditions and the prehistoric Macedonic rites of
sacrifice and offerings. The chthonic earthly nature of the Great Mother Goddess was represented by the
underground Mithraeums, and the very Mitra was born in the underground cave too; Mitra also adopted
the tauroctony of the goddess Nike, the immortality and reincarnation of the sun-god Dze, the eternal
signs of the Zodiac – they all melted and further transformed into one with Mitra, a sun-god of light,
truth, and honor. This last solar-chthonic cult has been found established in an entire series of ports on
the Mediterranean. Indigenous Pelasgian Macedonians from Phrygia reinvented and adopted back their
traditions through the cult of Mithra from Persia, and reintroduced it in Dionisiac manner in certain
regions of Macedonia and other provinces of the later Roman empire. His festival was celebrated on the
same day of the winter solstice like Apollon, like Leivino Dionis, like the Horned God, like Orion, etc.,
and his birth had brought light into the world. Mitra‟s greatest deed was to slay the mystic bull Apis, the
source of fertility. The concurrent causes of the spread of the Mithraic Mysteries overlapped from the
previous Eleusian, Dionisiac and Orphic Mysteries.
Same principle of Macedonic cosmopolitan interaction was applied for the Macedonian Sun-God Dze
(Illiy, Ilou, Ilion, Elliah, El, etc.) in Ptolemaic Egypt, where he became one with Osiris and in different
regions influenced by Macedonic Pantheon transformed into Dionisiac Osiris-Serapis (Dze-Ro-Apis441
thus „Serapis‟), but also as the “Roman” Mithras and Sol Invictus in Dalmatia, Pannonia, and further.

Above: fragment of a sepulchral slab with the Alexander-styled Sol Invictus

441
Dze (and/or Zee; Anglicized: See; Dutch: Zien; German: Sehen) - „all seeing, staring‟, Ro -
„kin‟ („Rod‟ in plain Macedonian), and Apis - the sacred bull, hence „Se-Ro-Apis‟ - Serapis.

246
 The MACEDONIC PANTHEON in
PTOLEMAIC EGYPT
The myths and divinities were international matter even in ancient times, they were borrowed and
interchanged between the different communities in antiquity, along with the trade routs, thru wars and
occupations, migrations, and other socio-economic manifestations of human behavior and thought.
Many authors remark the similitude which the ceremonies in honor of the Egyptian Osiris bore to those
of the Syrian Adonis or Macedonic Dionis. Typhoon stands opposed to Osiris, just as Ahriman does to
Ormuzd in the myths of Persia. Both Dionis and Osiris were cut to pieces and reborn by putting the
pieces together. Phrygians worshipped Attis442, and the Mother of the gods, with similar rites. “Now the
common time,” says Plutarch, “for the solemnization of all these festivals, was within „Jiat‟ month in
which the Pleiades appear, and the husbandmen sow their corn, which the Egyptians call Athyr, the
Athenians Pyanepsion, and the Boeotians, Demeter (Dea-mater). The Phrygians,” he continues, “also
suppose their god to sleep during the winter, and to awaken in the summer, and at one time they
celebrate his retiring to rest, and at another, with mirth and revelry, rouse him from his slumbers. The
Paphlagonians pretend that he is bound and imprisoned in the winter-months, and fliat in summer he is
restored to liberty and motion.” Also, Plutarch informs us that the Egyptian philosophers regarded
Osiris as a river-god too. Accordingly, one of the Dionis attributes was the watery element.
After Alexander the Great conquest, the Macedonic gods of the ruling Macedonian classes entered
the Egyptian Pantheon hierarchy and fused with the Egyptian divinities. The learned natives of Egypt
were attracted by the magnificence of the Ptolemies to the schools of Alexandria. There they imparted
their knowledge of astronomy and other branches of science to their conquerors, and acquired the
Macedonian Koine language and both the syllabic and alphabetic scripts, which continued for a
thousands of years to be the mediums of learned conversation and writing through a great part of the
civilized world.443 Here they were encouraged to transfer the memorials of their past dynasties, and the
institutes of their ancient hierarchy into the Macedonic language. Egyptian gods had become the subject
of vague conjecture in the time of Plutarch. The two independent principles reconciled with the genius
of the Pantheistic system. This is evident, from the variety of meanings assigned by authors of that
period to a single epithet, and from the doubtful terms in which they offer their interpretations. Ptolemy
I Sotir created a new Macedonian god who was in the same time of Egyptian origin. Osiris at that period
was the great god of Egypt, and Memphis was the religious centre of the cult of sacred bull Apis, the
representative of Osiris.
Ptolemy I Sotir showed to the Egyptians that Osirapi or Osiris-Apis444 was also sacred to the
Macedonians, and convinced them to identify him with the supreme Macedonian divinity. Thus, the
Macedonian deity Dze or Dionis (Dyaus), for the purposes of local acceptance was renamed into
Serapis, and in addition also identified with the later Roman Pluton445, the god of underworld (i.e.

442
Ad, or At, is Atys and/or Attis, i.e. Adad, the sun, i.e. Adonis/Dionis.
443
It is well known from the Roman sources that the Cleopatra VII of Macedon, the last queen and
pharaon of the Ptolemaic dynasty, still spoke the Macedonian language of her ancestors.
444
i.e. Ananetsa, Amon-Ra, “the second Ptah”, Amun/Amen, Sirius, etc.
445
found also in „Plug‟ - a „plow‟ in plain Macedonian; syllable “Pl-” is also found in the Macedonic
verbs “Plovi”- floats, “Pliva”- swims, etc.

247
Hades or Adad). Through clever coup de religion maneuver Dionis (syllabic Dze) was made one with
Osiris-Apis, thus becoming Dze-Ra-Apis i.e. Se-ra-pis. The lingual similarity and the fact that Osirapi
was the god of the Egyptian underworld made the unification acceptable. However, Egyptians were
forced to renounce their sacred bull Apis to this avail. Macedonic Leivino Dionis as Egyptian Osiris
reassumed the popular visage of a bull in the form of anthropomorphic Serapis. It appears to have been
to the interest of all parties to welcome Serapis, and Ptolemy succeeded in making this Macedonian
deity accepted by the Egyptians in spite of the fact that the Macedonians were the foreign rulers of the
country.
This fusing of one god with another is called Theocrasia, and nowhere was it more vigorously
implemented than in Macedonic Alexandria. Ananetsa446 (i.e. Osiris, Ammon-Ra, Sirius), a god popular
with the Egyptian commonalty, was already identified with Apis, the sacred bull in the temple of
Memphis, as the remnant from the Horned God and Zodiacal era of Bull (roughly 4000-2000 BCE), and
somewhat confused with the supreme sun-god Ammon. Ananetcha i.e. Isis was his consort. In
Ptolemaic Egypt Isis could easily be identified with a number of Greek syncretized goddesses, and

indeed had been since at least the 5th century BCE, in a combination of what Lévêque (1973: 186)
proposes to call “syncretism-henotheism” and what Dunand (1975:160) names “syncrétisme-

446
Ananetsa - as written on the Rosetta Stone middle text. „Osiris‟ is later Koinezation, i.e.
„Interpretatio Graeca‟.

248
amalgame”: Hera (hieros gamos of the supreme deities; cf. Theocr. Id. 17, 131–134, commentary on the
sibling marriage of the Philadelphoi), Artemis and Selene (lunar associations and iconography,
developed in the Late Period), Demeter (Hdt. II 156; the mater dolorosa aspect: see Plut. Mor. 356E–
367D [= De Is. et Os. 14–41]; fertility aspect: Isis “crowned with grain” in monetary iconography, e.g.
Svor. 1232–1238), Athena (Plut. Mor. 376B [= De Is. et Os. 62], allegedly after Manetho), and last but
not least Aphrodite (“great of love, mistress of women” in temple inscriptions, goddess of love and
beauty in hieroglyphic hymns, likewise in holy hymns and aretalogies, see Kockelmann 2008: 68; cf.
witt 1995: 126 f.).
Dze-Ra-Apis under the new name of Serapis became the great god of Alexandria. But, the Osiris-
Isis cult remained, now without their retarded animal appearances, and the sacred bull Apis was erased
due to the antrpomorphic order imposed by Macedonian rule; and as the Dionis-Serapis (Dze-Ra-Apis)
he was intermingled and reshuffled as Macedonic-Egyptian deity. It can be also assumed that the Zodiac
too was already brought and firmly introduced into Egypt long ago, first probably during the Hittite
period, and then again during the Ptolemaic period. The historical records of this Theocrasia-Pantheistic
transformation in the 3rd century BCE are numerous, yet unclear, due to the different interpretations and
fanciful transliterations of the later historians and tell tales.
Thereby, a very important (but yet to be fully interpreted and understood) breakthrough, which
decisively contributed to the better understanding of the ancient Macedonic Pantheon in general, and
especially the one in Ptolemaic Egypt, was the study of the Rosetta Stone made by the two scientists
from Macedonia, academician T. Boševski and prof. A.Tentov. Their revolutionary decodification of the
middle text from the Rosetta Stone was crucial achievement in the further reconstruction of the overseas
development of Macedonic Pantheon as it was interpreted under the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies
in Egypt. Thus, in the Rosetta Stone middle text we have the transcriptions of the syllabic names in
ancient Macedonian script and language (so-called “Demotic”) of the two primordial supreme deities of
Ancient Macedon, and another twelve Macedonic deities, which coincide with the twelve signs of
Zodiac and the later twelve apostles of Christianity. Their aegis encompassed over the existing Egyptian
deities. The reconstructed scheme of the Macedonic pantheon in Ptolemaic Egypt seems to be as it
follows:

Bogo Vō and/or Gō (i.e. Gōlem - „the Great‟ or as referring particle suffix “Go” - „it/him‟ in
plain Macedonian)447 – the Supreme Father God of the Sun and Sky, the Creator of the
Universe; homonymous to Pelasgian „Da-Wō‟448, Scandinavian father-god „Vōdin‟ (i.e.
„Odin‟), etc. He is either marked with the syllables as: VIII (← from right to left) - „Bogo
Voo‟, or as the supreme creator marked as  - „Gō‟. The all-seeing protector (Lat. Protis);
comparable to Egyptian Amun, Ptah or Ra (Amen-Ra or Amun-Ra); later Roman Jupiter.
Zodiacal sign Pisces. He was the principle and almighty father of all the things and gods,
beginning and the end.

Bogo Mō (and/or Mō-Dea) – the Supreme Mother Goddess of the Earth and motherland of
Macedon. She was particularly popular in Upper Macedonia, so popular that the Roman
Senate forbid her with a decree after the occupation of Macedonia in the 2nd century BCE.

447
http://www.makedonski.info/search/golem, http://www.makedonski.info/search/go
448
Reference from the ancient Pelasgian sanctuary at Hagia Triada (Holy Trinity).

249
 She is inscribed on the Rosetta Stone with the syllables ʃIII (← from right to left) - „Bogo
Mō‟ i.e. „the goddess Mō‟, and/or „Mo-Dea‟: −∕\ʃ (← from right to left). She was the
Nekhbet, Mut or Ma‟at in Egypt, Kibela/Cybele in Phrygia, Hittite Kubaba in Khatti, Ishtar
in Babylonia, Astarte in Phoenikia, and/or Ma in Macedonia and Cappadocia; Zodiacal sign
Taurus. The Ancient Macedonians called themselves (transliterated in Latin): “DeTsaMō” -
„Children(of)Mother‟, hence the Koine-abbreviated term “Demo(s)” - „populace‟. Today we
will say: “Detsa na Mo Dea” - „Children of Mother Dea‟ in plain Macedonian.
The Supreme Creator Vō and the Great Mother Mō have also created Macedonia and they incarnate in
the personages of the king and queen of Macedonia. From the Samothracian Mysteries, which seem to
have been the most anciently established ceremonies of this kind in Europe, we are informed by Varro
that the Heaven and Earth were worshipped as a male and female divinities; also as later Koine „Uranus‟
and „Gea‟ and as the parents of all things. Phoenician theogony of Sanchoniatho was founded on the
same principles. Heaven and Earth, Uran and Ge, father and mother of everything, and parents of the
gods after them:
Bogo Dze – the Sun-God of Summer and the Sunlight („Bogo Leto‟ was his other appelation
in plain Macedonian), celebrated as Supreme deity in Lower Macedonia. The „all seeing‟
(from Macedonian “Zēe” -„stare‟; in Dutch: Zien, in German: Sehen, English: See…)449, and
all sustaining deity of Macedonia. In Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the Rosetta
Stone: III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Dze‟ (hence Latinized “Dzevs/Zeus”) was the
firstborn son of the Great Mother Goddess and one of the higher gods of ancient
Macedonians. Thus he was also called „The First‟.450 Actually, he is Paionian Dyaus and/or
Dionis, and/or later Egyptian Osiris-Serapis (corrupted from Dze-Ra-Apis, who was "the
renewed life of Ptah" or “the second Ptah”). The same appellation and attributes are applied
and comparable to the Persian sun-god Adad, Egyptian Khnemu, Khensu or Aten, Phrygian
Attis; Zodiac sign Aries.

Bogo Dzee – the Goddess of the cold sunlight; comparable to Egyptian Her-shef or Tefnut. In
Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the Rosetta Stone: III (← from right to left) -
„Bogo Dzee‟ („God Ze‟).

Bogo Ze – the God of the young (morning) Sun; comparable to Apollon and/or Egyptian
Horus. Zodiacal sign Leo. In Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the Rosetta Stone:
III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Ze‟ („God Ze‟).

Bogo Zee – the Goddess of the cold Moon-light; comparable to Persian Adargatis (Syrian
Agartis/Ashtarte/Ishtar), consort of Adad. In Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the
Rosetta Stone: III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Ze‟ („God Zee‟).

Bogo Žee – the Goddess of the earth‟s vital energy Ka, i.e. the life („Ţivot‟ in today plain
Macedonian); comparable to Egyptian Isis („As‟) and/or Roman Vesta (i.e. Vesna - „spring‟

449
https://glosbe.com/en/mk/stare
450
This theology is completely in line with the Dionysian mystery schools to which belonged
Olympia, the mother of Alexander the Great, which is mentioned by Plutarch in his text
“Life of Alexander”.

250
in plain Macedonian). In Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the Rosetta Stone:
III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Ţee‟ („God Ţee‟). In today Macedonian Cyrillic script by
multiple rotations ( , , , and ) it overlapped into a ligature as the Cyrillic letter “ Ж”
graphically simplified as “Ж” (Lat. „Ţ‟), a Sun-symbol par excellence used for the very Sun-
god(s), both the Mother Goddes and the Sky-father kreator in the last 8000 years at least.
Today the basic syllable for the Macedonian word for „Life‟ – “Ţivot” („Живот“ in
Cyrillic).451 As , Ж was repeated as a Christian symbol, and found again and again all
around in Macedonian Peninsula, Asia Minor and elsewhere. – See the correspondences on
the next pages:

or

Above: Sumerian symbols for „god‟, known as „An‟ (or „Anu‟)

Below and on the next pages: 1. Bronze ring from the Neolithic vilage of Govrlevo,
8000 BCE; 2. Macedonian Star/Sun symbol on ancient coins 4-3rd c. BCE; ancient
Macedonic mosaic from the 3rd c. BCE; 4. a detail from a Medieval icon showing
the divine Vimana (or Merkava) vehicle of the angels; 5. Medieval baner from
Galičnik, eastern Macedonia; 6. The ethnic flag of Vlach (Latinized Macedonians)
community in Aegean Macedonia, etc.

1. 2.

451
http://www.makedonski.info/search/%D0%B6ivot

251
3.

252
4. 5.

6.

Thе widespread iconography of this symbol is still well preserved in the Macedonian
folklore, and also represented by the St. Elijah (Sv. Ilija) as a Thunder patron.
Accordingly, the Labrys or Labris – a ritual double axe, was the Storm-god‟s secondary
symbol of the very same (Ж) shape. Relation Labris - Thunder can be observed once
again through the universal hexagonal form used to indicate them. In favor of the thunder
relation, numerous Sacred Double-axes from the antiquity are indistinctivelly ornamented
with lightning zig-zag motives. The axe by itself, as ritual and cult object, also
represented an important status symbol in the communities throughout the history. It was
unquestionably important, and even venerated as from the Neolithic Age.

253
Above: different ancient artifacts showing the „Labrys‟ double-axe image. From left
to right: Asia Minor terracotta, a coin from Macedonia, and Knossos seal print

However, the first undisputed historical testimony of the „Ki-Ro‟ Labarum monogram (as
the one used by Constantine I the Great) appeared in the 3rd century BCE, on the
Macedonian bronze coins of Ptolemy I Sotir, and certainly could not have referred to
'Christ' or 'Christianity'. What was the precise meaning of its appearance on the coinage
of the then rulers of Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty of Macedon, is still unknown. Was it
already called „Ki-Ro‟ back then, we simply don‟t know…

254
 Above: the 3rd century coin of Ptolemy III Sotir with the "Ki-Rho" monogram
already in use (between the eagle legs)
Below: comparison between the hexagonal Rosetta-flower (i.e. „Flower of life“)
symbol with six petals, the monogram "Ki-Rho", and the frozen water crystal
structure of a common snowflake

Amazingly enough, but the very same architecture it is found also on the pictographic
Chinese symbol for "water" (Shui), the essence of life, which is of exactly the same
geometrical shape:

255
Bogo Ve452 – the God of the building masons and architects; comparable to Egyptian
Imhotep, Roman Minerva. Zodiacal sign Aries. In Macedonic syllables from the middle text
of the Rosetta Stone: <III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Ve‟ („God Ve‟). Hence the
“Velemajstor” – „Grandmaster‟ in plain Macedonian.453

Bogo Vo – the God of Water („Voda‟ in today plain Macedonian)454 and watery
constructions; comparable to Babylonian Ea and Egyptian Hapi. In Macedonic syllables
from the middle text of the Rosetta Stone: >III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Vo‟ („God Vo‟).

Bogo Hō – the Goddess of the writing and scripts; comparable to Egyptian Toth, Roman
Mercury. Zodiacal sign Gemini and Cancer. In Macedonic syllables from the middle text of
the Rosetta Stone: III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Ho‟ („God Ho‟).

Bogo Džō – the God of animals and panagyurs (carnivals). Later known as „Pan‟;
comparable to later Orpheus; Zodiacal sign Capricorn. In Macedonic syllables from the
middle text of the Rosetta Stone: III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Dţo‟ („God Joe‟).

Bogo Ka – the Goddess of Health („She-Dragon‟, the Supreme deity in Upper Macedonia;
Latin Hygeia); also noted in the Egyptian mythology and depicted as a drop, representing the
concept of vital essence which distinguishes the difference between a living and a dead
person, with death occurring when the „Ka‟ leaves the body. In Macedonic syllables from the
middle text of the Rosetta Stone: III (← from right to left) - „Bogo Ka‟ („God Ka‟).

Bogo Sa455 – the Goddess of planting (agriculture); comparable to Egyptian Sati in

connection with the scattering and sowing of the seeds. Etruscan Zeirene, Roman Ceres. In
Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the Rosetta Stone: ⇂III (← from right to left) -
„Bogo Sa‟ („God Sa‟).

Bogo Gya – the God of war (i.e. Gyavol - „devil‟ in today plain Macedonian); comparable to
Babylonian Nergal, Egyptian Astharthet and/or Paprem. Zodiacal sign Scorpio. In
Macedonic syllables from the middle text of the Rosetta Stone: III (← from right to left) -
„Bogo Gya‟ („God Gya‟).

452
Vešt [vesht; adjective] - able, skillful in plain Macedonian; also Veština [pronounced
Veshtina] - craftsman.
453
http://www.makedonski.info/search/velemajstor
454
http://www.makedonski.info/search/voda
455
Sadi - „sowing‟ in plain Macedonian.

256
 How this Macedonic system worked and transformed the mythological and religious realities in
Egypt is perfectly described by the ancient authors like Diodorus Siculus, Plutarch from Ironea,
Cornelius Tacitus, Macrobius, etc.:
“The first generation of men in Egypt," says Diodorus, “contemplating the beauty of the superior
world, and admiring with astonishment the frame and order of the universe, supposed that there were
two chief gods that were eternal, that is to say, the Sun and the Moon, the first of which they called
„Osiris‟, and the other, „Isis‟, both names having proper etymologies; for Oziris, in the Macedonic
language, signifies a thing with many eyes456, which may be very properly applied to the sun, darting
his rays into every corner, and, as it were, with so many eyes viewing and surveying the whole land
and sea; with which the poet agrees, who says “Riding on high, the Sun all sees and hears”." Some
also of the ancient Macedonic mythologists call Osiris, „Dionis‟, and surname him „Sirius‟, amongst
whom Eumolpus, in his Bacchanalian verses: “Dionysius darts his fiery rays,” and Orpheus: “He is
called Phanetes and Dionysius."
Plutarch of Ironea (Lat. Chaeronea, in AD 46-120) tells us the following in his essay on Isis and
Osiris, at pages 69-73: “Ptolemy I Sotir saw in a dream the colossal statue of Pluto in Sinopê, not
knowing nor having ever seen how it looked, and in his dream the statue bade him convey it with all
speed to Alexandria. He had no information and no means of knowing where the statue was situated,
but as he related the vision to his friends there was discovered for him a much travelled man by the
name of Sosibius, who said that he had seen in Sinopê just such a great statue as the king thought he
saw. Ptolemy, therefore, sent Soteles and Dionis, who, after a considerable time and with great
difficulty, and not without the help of divine providence, succeeded in stealing the statue and bringing

456
Astonishing is the fact that even in today modern Macedonian the verb „ozari-se‟ means
exactly „gaze around, stare‟; future imperfect tense from the Macedonic verb “dze”(ze) - „see‟
(Dutch: zien; German: sehen; anglicized: see). It is also found in the Macedonian “Prozor ” -
„window‟ and “Ozero” - „lake‟, as the lakes were considered the eyes of the Great Mother
Goddess of the Earth. In ancient Egypt of Ptolemies Macedonic Dze in comutation with Ra
easily became transfigured into Ozeiris and/or Dze-Ra-Apis – Serapis.

257
it away. When it had been conveyed to Egypt and exposed to view, Timotheus, the expositor of sacred
law, and Manetho of Sebennytus, and their associates, conjectured that it was the statue of Pluton,
basing their conjecture on the Cerberus and the serpent with it, and they convinced Ptolemy that it
was the statue of none other of the gods but Serapis. It certainly did not bear this name when it came

Above: images of Dze-Ra-Apis or Serapis, the one on the right in typical Macedonian uniform

for Sinope, but, after it had been conveyed to Alexandria, it took to itself the name which Pluton bears
among the Egyptians, that of Serapis. Moreover, since Heracleitus the physical philosopher says,
“The same are Hades and Dionis, to honour whom they rage and rave,” people are inclined to come
to this opinion. In fact, those who insist that the body is called Hades, since the soul is, as it were,
deranged and inebriate when it is in the body, are too frivolous in their use of allegory. It is better to
identify Osiris with Dionis and Serapis with Osiris, who received this appellation at the time when he
changed his nature. For this reason Serapis is a god of all peoples in common, even as Osiris is; and
this they who have participated in the holy rites well know.
In the Phrygian writings it is said that Serapis was the son of Heracles, and Isis was his
daughter, and Typhon was the son of Alcaeus, who also was a son of Heracles; Phylarchus, writes

258
that Dionysus was the first to bring from India into Egypt two bulls, and that the name of one was
Apis and of the other Osiris. But Serapis is the name of him who sets the universe in order, and it is
derived from "sweep" (sairein), which some say means "to beautify" and "to put in order." As a
matter of fact, these statements of Phylarchus are absurd, but even more absurd are those put forth
by those who say that Serapis is no god at all, but the name of the coffin of Apis; and that there are in
Memphis certain bronze gates called the Gates of Oblivion and Lamentation, which are opened when
the burial of Apis takes place, and they give out a deep and harsh sound; and it is because of this that
we lay hand upon anything of bronze that gives out a sound. More moderate is the statement of those
who say that the derivation is from "shoot" (seuesthai) or "scoot" (sousthai), meaning the general
movement of the universe. Most of the priests say that Osiris and Apis are conjoined into one, thus
explaining to us and informing us that we must regard Apis as the bodily image of the soul of Osiris.
But, if the name Serapis is Egyptian, it denotes cheerfulness and rejoicing, and I base this opinion on
the fact that Egyptians call their festival of rejoicing sairei. In fact, Platon says that Hades is so
named because he is a beneficent and gentle god towards those who have come to abide with him.
Moreover, among the Egyptians many others of the proper names are real words; for example, that
place beneath the earth, to which they believe that souls depart after the end of this life, they call
Amenthes, the name signifying "the one who receives and gives." Whether this is one of those words
which came from Macedonia in very ancient times and were brought back again we will consider
later, but for the present let us go on to discuss the remainder of the views now before us.”457

Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56-117) in his Histories, Book 4, Chapter 17, pages 81-84 relates a story
concerning the Serapis in Alexandria in the year AD 69. The story resembles the tale told about
the visit of Alexander the Great to the shrine of the god Ammon at the Oasis of Siwa, Egypt in 331
BCE. Tacitus tells us the following: “Page 83. Where the god Serapis came from the Egyptian priests
give the following account. It concerns Ptolem I Sotir, the second Macedonian ruler of Egypt, who did

much to develop the country. While he was engaged in providing the newly-founded city of Alexandria
with walls, temples and religious cults, he dreamed that he met a young man of remarkable beauty and
457
A new study of DNA recovered from an ancient Philistine site in the Israeli city of Ashkelon
confirms what we already know from the Bible and other ancient sources – that the origin of the
Philistines is in southern Europe. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahu-
Archaeology-DNA-prove-Palestinians-not-native-to-Land-of-Israel-594872

259
more than human stature, who instructed him to send his most trusty courtiers to Pontus to fetch a
statue of himself. This, he said, would cause the kingdom to prosper, and whatever place gave the
image shelter would become great and famous. Thereupon, continues the account, this same youth
appeared to ascend into heaven in a blaze of fire.
These signs and wonders impelled Ptolemy to reveal the nocturnal vision to the Egyptian priests
whose practice it is to interpret such things. As they knew little of Pontus and foreign parts, he
consulted an Athenian of the clan of the Eumolpidae, one Timotheus, whom he had brought over to
supervise ritual, and asked him about the nature of this worship and the identity of the god. Timotheus
got into touch with regular travellers to Pontus and from them found out that the country contained a
city called Sinope, near which was a temple long famous in the neighbourhood and dedicated to
Jupiter Dis. The identification was borne out, they added, by the presence nearby of the statue of a
goddess commonly described as Proserpina. But Ptolemy was just like a king: though easily upset, on
recovering his nerve he showed himself keener on pleasure than religion. Thus he gradually put the
matter out of his mind and devoted himself to other business. But in the end the same vision appeared
before him, now in a more terrifying and urgent aspect and threatening both king and kingdom with
ruin unless its orders were obeyed. Then Ptolemy had ambassadors and gifts assembled for an
approach to king Scudrothemis, the then ruler of Sinope, instructing his envoys as they embarked to
visit the shrine of Pythian Apollon. The travelers were granted a favorable passage and an
unambiguous answer from the oracle. They were to go on their way and bring back the image of
Apollon's uncle, leaving that of his sister where it was.

Page 84. On reaching Sinope, they addressed the offerings, requests and instructions of their king
to Scydrothemis. The latter found it hard to make up his mind. At one moment, he was frightened of the
divine will, at another terrified by the threats of his people, who opposed the transaction; and often he
found the gifts and promises of the deputation tempting. In this way three years passed by without any
diminution in Ptolemy's enthusiasm and appeals. The status of his ambassadors, the size of his fleet
and the weight of his gold were ceaselessly augmented. Then a dreadful apparition confronted
Scydrothemis in a dream, forbidding him to delay further the purposes of the god. When he still
hesitated, he was vexed by all manner of disasters, by plague and by the manifestation of a divine
wrath which became daily more grievous. Then he called his people together and explained to them
the orders of the deity, his own vision and that of Ptolemy, and their ever growing afflictions. The
common folk, turning a deaf ear to their king and jealous of Egypt, staged a sit-down strike around the
temple in self-defence. At this point, the story became even more impressive, telling how the god
embarked of his own accord upon the fleet, which was moored by the coast. Then comes the
remarkable account of their sailing into Alexandria after completing the long voyage in only three
days. A temple worthy of a great metropolis was built in the quarter called Rhacotis, where there had
long been a chapel dedicated to Serapis and Isis.
Such is the favorite version of where Serapis came from and how he reached Egypt. I am aware
that some authorities hold that he was brought from the Synan city of Seleucia during the reign of the
third Ptolemy. Yet another story speaks of the initiative as coming from the same Ptolemy, but makes
the original home of the god Memphis, a city once famous as the capital of the Old Kingdom. As for
the identity of the god, he is equated by many with Aesculapius because he heals the sick, by some with
Osiris, who is the oldest deity known to the Near East, by not a few with Jupiter owing to his all-
embracing powers. But the prevailing identification of Serapis as Prince Dis is based on the attributes
clearly portrayed in his statues, or esoteric lore.”

260
 Right: Isidi Serapidi Oppiae Uhin458

Macrobius has preserved one of the most ingenious of these materialistic interpretations (Sat. I., 20):
“The city of Alexandria pays an almost frantic worship to Serapis and Isis; yet all this veneration they
prove is but offered to the Sun under that title, both by their placing the corn-measure upon his head,
and accompanying his statue by the figure of an animal with three heads. Of these, the central and the
largest is a lion's; that which rises on the right is a dog‟s, in a peaceful and fawning attitude; whilst
the left part of the neck terminates in the head of a ravening wolf. All these animal forms are connected
together by the wreathed body of a serpent, which raises his head up towards the god's right hand, on
which side this monster is placed. The lion's head typifies the Present, because its condition between
the Past and the Future is strong and fervent. The Past is signified by the wolf's head, because the
memory of all things past is snatched away from us and utterly consumed. The symbol of the fawning
dog represents the Future, the domain of inconstant and flattering hope. But whom should Past,
Present, and Future serve except their author? His head crowned with the cakzthus typifies the height
of the planet above us, and his all-powerful capaciousness, since unto him all things earthly return,
being drawn up by the heat that he emits. Moreover, when Nicocreon, king of Cyprus, consuetude
Serapis as to which of the gods he ought to be held, he thus responded:

458
“Isis-Serapis opium ear” - a square relief made of white marble, from the temple of Isis at Stobi,
Republic of Macedonia.

261
 A god I am such as I show to thee,
The starry Heavens my head, my trunk the Sea,
Earth forms my feet, mine ears the Air supplies,
The Sun's far-darting, brilliant rays, mine eyes.

Hence it is apparent that the nature of Serapis and of the Sun is one and indivisible. Isis, so universally
worshipped, is either the Earth, or Nature, as subjected to the Sun. Hence the goddess's body is
covered with continuous rows of udders,' to show that the universe is maintained by the perpetual
nourishment of the Earth or Nature."

The following passages are taken from the book entitled “The History of Magic,” Vol.1, (published
1856) by the distinguished German physician, Joseph Ennemoser, at pages 246-249: “Another, no less
celebrated, divinity was Serapis, who is by some confounded with Oziris. He was particularly in great
renown among foreigners; and he maintained his influence over men much longer than any other of
the gods. Several temples were sacred to him in Egypt, and, at a later time, in Macedonia and Rome.
According to Jablonski, 24 Serapeums (Serapis temples) were dedicated to him, of which those at
Memphis, Canopus, and Alexandria, were the most celebrated.
According to Sprengel Serapis originally meant a Nile measure, or the Lord of Darkness, because
the rise of the Nile was traced to the Egyptian horizon; he was therefore the symbol of the sun below

262
the horizon (coinciding with the Zee – the Macedonian god of the cold sunlight). Serapis was called
Dionis/Osiris, Zevs Ammon, Pluton, by the Macedonians, Bacchus and Aesculapius by the Romans.
One of the most celebrated temples was at Canopus, and another at Alexandria. In the temples
of Serapis, as well as in those of Isis, a statue was generally erected with its finger on its lips,
representing Silence. This silence does not probably mean that none were to speak of these divinities

being mortal, but that the Dionisiac secrets of the temple were to be preserved. "In this temple," says
Strabo (XVII. 801), "great worship is performed, many miracles are done, which the most celebrated
men believe, and practice, while others devoted themselves to the sacred sleep."
“Eusebius calls Serapis „the prince of evil spirits of darkness‟ (Praparat. Evang. 4), who sits beside
a three-headed monster, which represents in the centre a lion, on the right a dog, and on the left a

263
wolf, round with a dragon winds, whose head the god touches with his right hand.” At
Canopus, Serapis was visited by the highest personages with great veneration; “and in the interior
were all kinds of sacred pictures, portraying miraculous cures.” Still more celebrated was the temple
at Alexandria, where the sacred or temple-sleep was continually practiced, and sick persons were
entirely cured. It was here that a blind and a lame man received the revelation that the former was to be
touched by the spittle, and the latter by the foot, of the emperor Vespasian, and, according to the
accounts of Strabo and Suetonius, they were thereby cured. (Sueton. in Vespas. c. 7) Although in the
past Apis was another divinity, worshipped under the shape of a spotted ox, under Macedonians his
attributes were relegated to Leivino Dionis/Serapis. Several temples were sacred to him, of which that
at Memphis was the most celebrated. Here Aescylapius is said to have acquired his skill. Apis,
however, also came to be considered to actually have been Serapis, and the temples of Osiris,
of Serapis, and Apis, were the same, though under different names. The bull was actually the Dionis‟
animal avatar. For after the death of Osiris, when his body was to have been buried, an ox of
remarkable beauty appeared to the Egyptians, and was regarded as being Osiris, and therefore
Egyptians worshipped him in the form of Apis. Augustin (De civitate, Kb. XVIII) says, that Apis was a
king of Argo, who then after it was introduced by the Macedonians and became Serapis in Egypt, and
was celebrated as the greatest Egyptian god.
Pliny (lib. III. c. 46) says as follows: "In Egypt, an ox, which they call Serapis, receives divine honors.
He has a brilliant white spot on the right side, which begins to increase with the new moon. According
to Herodotus, he is quite black, with a square mark on the forehead, the figure of an eagle on his back,
and, besides a knot under the tongue, has double hairs in his tail. He can only reach a certain age,
according to Pliny, when the priests drown him, and seek for another to succeed him, with
lamentations. After they have found one, the priests lead him to Memphis, where the oracle predicted
of the future by signs and symbols. They prophesied from the various movements and actions of the ox,
giving him consecrated food. From his inclination to take or refuse this the oracles were drawn. Thus,
for instance, he pushed away the hand of the Emperor Augustus, who shortly afterwards lost his life.
Apis lives in great seclusion; but when he breaks loose, the lictors drive the populace from his path,
and a crowd of boys accompany him, singing verses to his honour, which he appears to understand."

264
Above: 3rd century seal representing the Macedonic Orpheus
Bakikos (i.e. Bachus) crucified and on seventh heaven
(symbolized by 7 crosses)

265
 References:

1. Hēsychiou Lexicon cum variis doctorum variis doctorum virorum, Notis vel editis
antehac vel ineditis, 1668.
2. Lexicon: cum notis doctorum virorum integris, Volume 1 by Hesychius
(Alexandrinus.) 1746.
3. “The History of Ancient Europe; from the earliest times to the subversion of the western
empire,” by unknown author, 1815.
4. “Analysis of the Egyptian mythology, in which the philosophy and superstitions of the
ancient Egyptians are compared with those of the Indians and other nations of antiquity”
by J. C. Prichard, 1838.
5. “The Ethnology of Europe” by R.G.Latham, 1852;
6. “Ancient names of countries, cities, individuals, and gods” by S.F. Dunlap. 1856;
7. "Hesychii Alexandrini Lexicon". 1867. Sumptibus Hermanni Dufftii. Libraria
Maukiana.
8. “The cities and cemeteries of Etruria” by George Dennis, 1878.
9. "Studies of the Gods at Certain Sanctuaries Recently Excavated" by Louis Dyer,
1891.
10. "Historiarum Alexandri Magni Macedonis" by Curti Rufi Q. 1893, ed. Th.Vogel,
Lipsiae.
11. “Textes et Monuments figurés relatifs aux Mysteres de Mithra” by Franz Valery
Cumont, 2 vols. Bruxelles, 1896-1899.
12. “Mysteries of Mitra” by Franz Valery Marie Cumont, 1903.
13. “Macedonian folklore” by G. F. Abbot, 1903.
14. “The Gods of Egypt” by E. A. Wallis Budge, 1904.
15. “Memoirs of the American Natural History Society”, 1905.
16. “Riddles of prehistoric times” by James H. Anderson, 1911
17. “History of Ancient Civilization” by Charles Seignobos, 1912.
18. “Adonis, Attis, Osiris – Studies in the history of oriental religion” by J. G. Frazer,
V.1 & 2, 1914.
19. “The mythology of all races” by Louis Herbert Gray, 1916.
20. “The Library” by Apolodorus, translation by Sir James George Frazer, 1921.
21. “Macedonia, Thrace and Illyria” by Casson, 1926.
22. “Prehistoric Macedonia, an archaeological reconnaissance” by W. A. Heurtley, 1939.
23. “Dictionary of the Holy Bible” by Augustin Calmet.

266
24. “Dictionary of Gods & Goddesses” by Michael Jordan, 1941.
25. “Religious Evolution” by Robert N. Bellah, 1964.
26. “The Ritual-Magic meaning and practice of the „Life Fire‟ in Prilep region” by Velimir
Nikolov Plamenski, 1981.
27. “Contributions to Comparative Mythology: Studies in Linguistics and Philology” by
Stephen Rudy, 1985.
28. “Hellenistic Kings, War, and the Economy” by M. M. Austin, 1986.
29. "The Twilight of the Goddess: An Ancient Religious Revolution” by John K. Hord, 1987.
30. “The goddess Ma in Cappadocia and her cult in Macedonia” by Nade Proeva, 1993.
31. “Cultes et Rites de passage en Macedoine” by M. B. Hatzopoulos, 1994.
32. “Religion in ancient Macedonia” by Nade Proeva, 1996.
33. “Dictionary of Macedonian folk festivals, customs and beliefs” by L. Boceva and L.
Kovacheva, 1996.
34. “Ancient Macedonia” by Ljubomir Domazetović, 2002.
35. Lezioni di Arte Vol.1, 'Dall'arte arcaica al gotico' Electa/Bruno Mondadori, Edition
2002.
36. “The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Ilion to Augustine” by Simon Price,
Peter Thonemann.
37. “The origin of the Etruscans” by R.S.P.Beekes, 2003.
38. “Prehistoric mounds in Macedonia” by Wace and Thompson.
39. “The sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace, Greece: an extended marble provenance
study” by Y. Maniatis, D. Tambakopoulos, E. Dotsika, B. D. Wescoat and D. Matsas.
40. “Comparative analysis of the results of deciphering the middle text on the Rosetta Stone”
by Tome Boševski, Aristotel Tentov, 2010.
41. “Le origini degli Ertusci” by Maria Angioni, 2010.
42. "A different god? Dionysos and ancient polytheism" by Renate Schleiser, 2011.
43. “Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World” by Jan N. Bremmer, 2014.
44. “Perspectives on the impact of Bachae at its original performance” by Edith Hall, 2015.
45. “The neckless of Harmonia” by Miloš Lindro, 2015.
46. Hesychius of Alexandria „Glossary‟, the Macedonian words etymology.
47. “The Samothracian cult and the maritime world (4th century BCE – 2nd century AD)” by
Dies van der Linde.
48. “The Demoniacal Beings in Macedonian Magic Fairytales” by Sofia Trenčovska.
49. “Customs of the Ancient Macedonians in Macedonian National Traditions” by Lidia
Kovacheva, 2016.

267
50. “The Trebenište craters and the myth of Kadmus and Harmonia” by Nikos Čaušidis.
51. “Macedonian bronzes and the religion and mythology of Iron Age communities in the
Central Balkans (Macedonia)” by Nikos Chaušidis, 2017.
52. “Neolithic communities in the Republic of Macedonia” by G. Naumov, Lj. Fidanoski, I.
Toleski, A. Ivkovska.
53. “The impact of Ares Macedon νn Athenian sculpture” by Olga Palagia.

268
Addendum: Here, for the sake of the truth, it has to be explained when, how, and why
science turned its back on the truth…
In the 2nd half of the 18th century, due to centuries of desperate hatred and fear from the
Ottoman Empire, which repeatedly entered the central Europe and which swallowed a good
portion of southern Europe (almost the entire Balkans, Sicily, southern Spain) – a new Euro-
Romantic concept of "civilization" (different from the civilized-barbaric dichotomy, which is
ancient) was born. Victor Mirabeau invented this concept in 1757, in a treatise on the
population, and a decade later Ferguson used it in his essay on the History of Civil Society
(1767). Suddenly, "Civilization", after being conceived and adopted by European Romantics,
grew into a self-growing and self-sufficient doctrine, and was incorporated into the new
selfish concept of western Eurocentrics, with them as the center of the world. During the
following 19th century, the countries were divided by those same Eurocentrics into "civilized"
(Western Europe) and "uncivilized" (barbaric), with Western Europe as the civilized measure-
unit of comparison. As part of a construction known as the "Civilizational Standard", the idea
of "European cultural and moral superiority" has reached its zenith, along with the presumed
"historic mission to civilize the rest of the world" (Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the
Middle East). ..) by expanding European influence, i.e. by colonization and devastation. The
fact that in 1856 Vienna (then the cultural center of Europe) was considered the last frontier
before the Asia proper, which according to Klemens von Metternich's understanding of
geography "Starts from Landstrasse" (a street leading southeast), and the Balkans were
considered part of Asia. This romanticists self-contention, but otherwise extremely cruel and
false concept of "our civilization" created in the 18/19 century (different from the 'civilized-
barbarian' dichotomy, which is ancient), was utterly nurtured by the Eurocentrics into a
perverted, fully grown xenophobic self-living monster, introduced as the hypocritic concept of
the "international community" with an exclusive seat in Europe.
Such a retarded Eurocentric concept soon infects both culture and science. It even began to
influence history and archeology. So for example, after Crete gained autonomy from the
Ottoman Empire in 1898. about a dozen archeological excavations have begun on the island.
Leading the way was Knossos' research, led by renowned British archaeologist Sir Arthur
Evans. On the other side of the front, in 1906, Hugo Winkler, a Berlin-based Assyrian
archaeologist, began parallel excavations in the ancient Hittite capital of Hattuša, located in
Asia Minor. Through the excavations of Troy, Mycenae, Knossos, Hatusa and many other
places, the cultural ancient civilizations that existed for more than a millennium before the
"classical" antiquity have emerged from the darkness of the past.
Soon, archaeologists were faced with the task of scientifically reconstructing new
knowledge about these early Aegean cultures. However, due to the above-mentioned hatred
and fear, it did not turn out that way. In his 1920 publications, Sir Arthur Evans created one,
relatively valid (for Western Europe), three-part chronology for the 3rd and 2nd millennium
BCE, and thus laid the foundations for a new discipline – the Aegean Prehistory. Evans tried
to distinguish the three regions: Asia Minor, "Grease" and Crete. For each of these regions, a
major cultural center-city was already well known: Troy, Mycenae, and Knossos. Evans also
defined a total of three different civilizations - the Hittite, the Mycenaean, and the Minoan.
But he linked only two of the regions to the capitals mentioned above. Mikena was, of course,
the center of Mycenaean Civilization, and Knossos of Minoan. But the most legendary of the
three, Troy (i.e. „Ilion‟ from Homer's „Iliad‟), with its surrounding rich archeological sites,
surprisingly remained ignored and removed from its publications. Instead of witnessing Troy's

269
civilization as a recognizable and distinct cultural entity, Evans removed it, and instead of the
mainland turned to the Aegean Islands in his publications, despite the fact that there was no
bigger urban center in the middle of the sea that could‟ve be representative of the Trojan
culture. And indeed, in the 2nd millennium BCE the islands in the Aegean weren‟t even close
to be that much significant to be treated as separate "civilizations", nor were they culturally
related to Troy. Furthermore, even the great Hittite capital and metropolis of Hatuša from
central Anatolia found itself in the civilization equation of Evans ...

Why such an absurd and unscientific manipulation? Despite the apparent scientific falsity of
this with nothing justified and selective approach, it was more than clear that the romanticism
of the Philhellenes from the early 19th century had prevailed and was their fantasiesa that
defined the Aegean Prehistory at that time. Just when Mr. Arthur Evans was defining the
chronology of the Aegean Prehistory, around 1920, fierce battles were fought between their
new colony, “Grease”, and Turkey. Under these circumstances, a Philhellene like Evans
intentionally diverted the objective interest of the science from the ancient cultures on Turkish
territory. As a result, Hatuša, and especially Troy, which was and is by far the most famous
archeological site in the world, remained unjustly isolated and ignored as de facto centers of a
vast and ancient civilization.
Because of this political interventionism from hundred years ago, today there is virtually no
other place in the world with so much archaeological potential to discover like west Asia
Minor. During all this time, due to the hysterical Westeuropean xenophobia towards
everything that was Turkish or under Turkish rule, this whole grandiose civilization was
largely hidden from the eyes of archaeologists and the general public. The absurdity is even
greater because more than a thousand years before the 19th century, Western Europeans were

270
trying to trace their ancient roots back in time – precisely from the royal family of Troy.
Hundreds of cities in Europe, including Rome, Paris and London, have vowed to been built on
Troy's model. This enthusiasm for all things from Troy gradually turned into complete
rejection after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople (in 1453), the entire Balkans, and they
even sieged Vienna (in 1683). After that, just because the remnants of that ancient and
glorious civilization were under someone else's rule and someone else's religion, the
intellectual elite of Central Europe no longer wanted to have anything to do with it.
Eurocentrics simply couldn‟t stand the fact that their idealized "noble Trojan descent" had
been alienated by some primitive Turko-Mongol hordes from Asia. Instead, they comfortably
forgot their "Trojan origins", and invented a brand new model of historical role, the ancient
Never-neverland – "Grease". Suddenly, from the legendary "Trojans" Western Eurocentrics
moved to the "Democratic Greex", and overnight “Hellas” became the latest "Cradle of
Democracy", and anyone who didn‟t speak the newly invented "Greek" language was snobbed
as "Barbarian".
Since the end of World War II, such shameful ideologies based on xenophobia and racial
prejudice are considered unacceptable. As a result of them absurd “discoveries” and gaps in
science have arisen, which are now gradually been corrected and supplemented. However,
subliminally, because of the Western neo-imperialist wet dreams, they stubbornly persist,
holding back the research of the early Macedonian and Anatolian civilizations and their
unquestionable connections.

271
272